The Captain of the Royal Guard
by Nightingale1208
Summary: When a young hunter with a unique talent comes seeking a place in Elsa's Royal Guard, he must first prove himself to her. But will it be everything he thought it was? Eventual ElsaXOC and maybe some Kristanna too.
1. Chapter 1

Frozen: CRG 1

Captain of the Royal Guard

**Edit: Sorry about the first posting; didn't realise it was in bold. Also, I did have asterisks to indicate the character changes, but they disappeared, so I put in X's instead. Thanks for reading everyone, next chapter will be up in a few days hopefully **

Nikolas

3 MONTHS AFTER THE WINTER

I'd always felt at home in the higher parts of the mountains, where the air was crisp and clean. Very few people ever came up here, and it was normally only the ice harvester's that did. Whenever I was up here, I was alone, and that was how I'd liked it.

Until now.

Today could be my last day alone in the mountains, which could prove to be both a blessing and a curse. Although I'd always lived in these mountains as a hunter, it was time to put my unique skills to a different use, as a member of Queen Elsa's personal guard

Yesterday I'd come into town with a number of pelts and things to sell to the townspeople. Mostly I sold the pelts of wolves that I'd killed, as they were worth the most to the townspeople. I sold these pelts for some a large sum of coin, enough to get food and firewood for my small hut in the mountains.

As I walked through the market place, I could feel the eyes of the people on my, their fear and distrust clearly showing to me. It was common in the kingdom of Arendelle for those who killed for a living to be treated with a modicum of distrust and fear, even the hunters. However, the people if Arendelle reserved a special kind if fear for me, due to the unique weapons I used.

Where some fought with a sword or an axe, and others with a bow and their arrows, I fought with a pair of claws that were attached to my armour. There were 4 blades on each gauntlet, and each blade was about 30 cm long.

One thing that was all too clear about my claws was that they were a very brutal weapon, and this was why the people feared me. Even when I didn't wear the blades, they were never far away, and the townspeople would talk behind my back in scared whispers.

However, I was determined to change that today. Once I'd sold my pelts, I headed towards the castle to ask for an audience with Queen Elsa.

Inside the castle gates, I was met by a plump man who I recognised as a servant from his attire. "Greetings sir, my name is Kai," he said, as way of introduction. "How may I help you?"

In an attempt to hide how nervous I was about this, I tried to put on an authoritative voice, and said "I'd like an audience with Queen Elsa, about joining her Royal Guard please." Although I was pleased with how I'd sounded, I quickly wrecked by nervously adding "If that's ok and she's not too busy or anything."

Managing to hide his smile, Kai replied "She is currently in the gardens with her sister, Princess Anna. However, she is due to return very soon, and I will make sure that you have your audience when she returns." With that, he bowed, gestured to a seat, and left, going off down the corridor.

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As Kai went to go and find the Queen, he frowned to himself slightly. The young man had seemed friendly enough, even though his nerves were clear for all to see. However, he was made slightly uncomfortable by the pair of gauntlets strapped across his back, and the claws attached to them.

However, it was not his place to judge the man's worthiness for the Royal Guard; that was something that Elsa would have to test herself. As Kai opened the door which led to the gardens, he could here Queen Elsa and Princess Anna's laughs, as the two sat and talked in the middle of the garden.

Kai sighed, knowing that telling Elsa that she had a guest would ruin their moment and upset Anna, but it had to be done. After all, it was Elsa's job as Queen to see people that came to her like this. Especially given this young man was seeking to join her Royal Guard, something Elsa had demanded to choose herself.

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"Oh Anna, I still can't believe you knocked a vase that large over, it must have taken forever for poor Gerda to clean it up!"

In the face if her sister's laughter, Anna pouted and replied "It's not entirely my fault, I slipped in the hallway and tried to grab something to hold on to." She paused for a second, before adding "Something which then came falling down with me."

The two sisters looked at each other, and burst into a fit of laughter all over again. They did not see Kai approach, and only realised he was there when he spoke up.

"Excuse me, your graces, but there is a young man here requesting an audience with you, Queen Elsa. He wishes to talk with you about the Royal Guard."

Although the two sisters had been laughing a few moments ago, it did not take long for Elsa to quickly compose herself and reply to Kai's message. "Thank you Kai. Please tell out guest that he will have his audience in the Throne Room." Once Elsa had given him her answer, Kai bowed and left the gardens to deliver the message.

Once Kai had gone, Elsa turned to Anna and saw that her sister's expression, which was joyous and happy before, was now an expression of hurt and sadness. "I thought we were going to spend time in the gardens, just the two of us, like you promised. No Queen business, just fun."

Elsa sighed, knowing that that was exactly what she'd promised her sister. "I know I did Anna, but at the time I did not expect to have someone want to speak to me about joining the Royal Guard, a position I that you know needs to be filled soon."

When this did nothing to improve Anna's temperament, Elsa sighed again, adding "If you want then you may accompany me to the Throne Room, and we can continue once I have spoken without guest."

Anna sighed, replying with a simple, but defeated "Ok."

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Within a few minutes of having been gone, Kai returned, and bowed to me. "Queen Elsa and Princess Anna will greet you in the Throne Room sir, please follow me."

Nodding, I followed the kindly servant to a pair of large doors, which I realised must lead to the Throne room. Before I could enter the room, Kai politely stopped me, asking "I'm sorry sir, but before you enter could you please remove the... gauntlets from their sheathes? They will remain here for the duration of your audience."

Chastising myself for being so foolish as to attempt to bring weapons into a meeting with the Queen, I quickly acquiesced to his request, and loosened the leather bindings which held the two claws in place, and passed it to him. Once it was in his hands, he bowed once more, gestured for me to enter, a movement made somewhat difficult by leather scabbard and claws that he carried.

When I entered the Throne Room, I was surprised that neither the Queen nor her sister was there in the Throne Room with me. However, I realised that they would not have had time to reach the room in the time that it had taken Kai to reach and deliver the message.

As I waited for the two royal sisters to arrive, I looked around and took in the details of the Throne Room. The room was long, but not so long that you could not see the Throne from the entrance. The curtains if the room were long, flowing and purple. The windows were almost floor-to-ceiling length, and allowed plenty of light.

Finally, at the top of several stairs on a slightly raised platform was the Royal Throne. The Throne itself was not overly embellished or jewelled, and was made of wood with plenty of cushioning to make it comfortable for whoever was to sit on it. Next to the Throne, but slightly further down the platform were two other chairs, similar to the Throne, but smaller and with less cushioning.

While I waited for the two sisters, I looked out one of the large windows, taking in the magnificent view of the city. A few seconds later, I heard a door open, and twirled around to see the Queen and the Princess enter through a door in the side of the room that I had not noticed before.

This was the second time that I had ever seen the sisters, the first time being just after Elsa had ended the winter that she had accidentally created. However, she looked very similar to how she had looked that day, as she was wearing a very similar icy dress to what she wore that day, and her platinum blonde hair was in a braid that came down over her left shoulder. Unlike the dress she had worn then, this dress did not have the cloak.

Anna, on the other hand, looked very different. Unable to create ice dresses like her sister, Anna was forced to wear real dresses, and she was dressed in a simple summer dress, even though it was almost the end of autumn. The dress had long sleeves and was a pale olive or green colour. Anna's red hair was done in two braids that just reached the top of her shoulders.

While Elsa's facial expression remained neutral but still friendly, Anna's expression was far less neutral, and she seemed almost bored, like there was no where she would rather not be. As Elsa sat down on her throne, Anna took her seat on the chair to the right of Elsa, but Anna's disinterested expression did not go away.

Realising that it was now my turn, I marched towards the platform and the throne, and went down on one knee before the Queen. Bowing my head, while still trying to find my nerves, I announced myself, saying "Queen Elsa, Princess Anna."

Elsa's voice rang out through the hall. "I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid I do not know your name. "Again I chastised myself for making such a simple mistake, before introducing myself. "I'm sorry, you're Graces. My name is Nikolas."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Nikolas. Please, stand so that we may talk as equals." As I rose to my feet, Elsa continued. "Now, my servant, Kai tells me that you have come to seek an audience in regards to the Royal Guard?"

"Yes, your Grace. I have heard that you were looking for someone to serve as part of the Guard, and thought that perhaps my unique skills may be of more use to you than as a hunter in the mountains."

Elsa favoured me with a smile. "Perhaps they could be. But first, you should know that there is no one else in the Guard yet, and you would be responsible for recruiting anyone else that you thought might be of use to the Guard. Is that ok?"

Though I was surprised that there was no one else on the Guard, I hid that surprise and quickly agreed with what Elsa said. Before she continues to speak, I looked over at Anna and saw that the bored expression was still on her face. However, her eyes were regarding me coldly, and she clearly didn't want me to be here.

"There is something else you should know first; you are not the first to apply to be a member of the Royal Guard, but if you do well in my tests them you will be the last."

Again I nodded my agreement, and waited for Elsa to continue. "Before I tell you about the tests, there's something I need to know first; what weapons do you fight with? Sword and shield? Or a bow and arrow?"

Although this was a question that I'd been expecting, I hadn't come up with a good way to explain my claws. "My weapons are a little bit... unorthodox, and difficult to explain. However, with your permission, I could show you? I left them with Kai."

Elsa quickly nodded, and answered "Of course. We will wait for your return." I nodded and quickly left through the door.

I found Kai waiting outside, where I'd left him. "Excuse me, Kai, but may I please have my gauntlets? Queen Elsa wishes to know what weapons I fight with, and it is easier to show someone than to explain what they are." Kai nodded warily, and handed me the leather scabbards and I pulled the gauntlets out.

Strapping them onto my wrists, I strode back into the Throne Room, and Elsa and Anna both quickly snapped to attention and drew in a sharp breath when they saw what I was wearing on my wrists.

"Well I can see how they could be considered unorthodox, Nikolas, and they are not a weapon I think I've ever seen anywhere before. I assume you are proficient in their use?" I nodded again, and Elsa looked pleased.

"Ok then, well then I will tell you about the first test that I need you to perform. At the top of the North Mountain, there is an Ice Palace. Are you familiar with it?" I nodded, having seen it on one if my hunting trips. "At the top of the Palace, there is a chest, with several precious items. Bring back the right item, and give it to the right person, and you will have event my trust. Can you do this?"

"Yes my Queen. I'll return by sunfall tomorrow" I answered confidently. This didn't sound too hard, but I was sure that I could turn out to be difficult, especially if I wasn't being careful. However, Elsa looked at me with a confused look on her face. "I'm sorry, but what is sunfall?"

Momentarily thrown off, I answered "I'm sorry your Grace, it is a term from my old tribe. It's the same as sunset." Elsa nodded and said "you may leave whenever you wish. However, you are welcome to stay in the palace until tomorrow, and you may have dinner with my sister and I tonight as well."

"Thank you your Grace." I said, "What time would you like me to return?" Elsa thought for a minute, before replying "Sunfall should be good." I grinned at the use of my tribe's word, before bowing and leaving.

However, as I left I was sure I heard Anna mutter "I hope Marshmallow throws you off a cliff." However, I quickly dismissed it as it didn't make any sense.

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As Nikolas bowed, he thanked me and said "I will see you for dinner." Then, he made to leave the room, leaving myself and Anna alone. However just before he left, I heard Anna mutter "I hope Marshmallow throws you off a cliff."

As soon as Nikolas had left, I quickly turned on my sister, barely keeping my anger I'm check, and asked "What was that about?" I hope Marshmallow throws you off a cliff?!" What were you thinking Anna?"

Her cheeks suddenly red, Anna answered "I don't like him. He interrupted our time together, which you promised wouldn't happen!" Hesitantly, she also added "Plus, he makes me nervous with those claws."

I knew how Anna felt. The claws had unnerved me at first, but I had hidden it from both Nikolas and Anna, knowing that it would not be good if either of them saw that I was uncomfortable. Looking out the window, I saw that it was mid-afternoon, and thought of another guest that could be invited.

Still upset with Anna over her comment, I decided to send her on an errand. "Anna, I need you to do me a favour. Can you please go and find Kristoff, and invite him to dinner as well? I would like to see what he thinks of Nikolas."

Realising now that I was upset with her, Anna sighed and answered "Yes Elsa, I'll find him. But I have a condition; tomorrow, we have our sister time, without any interruptions."

I sighed in response, knowing that there would be no reasoning with here, and it would only lead to an argument. "Yes Anna, we will have our sister time tomorrow afternoon, as long as you go and invite Kristoff to dinner."

Anna smiled and ran off to go and find her boyfriend, and I was left alone. 


	2. Chapter 2

Frozen: CRG 2

**A/N  
Thanks for reading this and for sticking with it, makes me happy to have even one person following it :) Also, I didn't realise last chapter that EVERYTHING was in bold, so I fixed it for this one. Hope you enjoy it :)  
**  
The Ice Palace

Once I was outside the room, I strapped my claws back into place and made my way back out into the town, as I needed to pass the time for a few more hours before dinner. I decided that I would wander through the marketplace, and see if I could find anything that I wanted or needed.

However, after looking through the marketplace I realised that wasn't anything here that I needed, or even wanted. With a sigh, I looked back up at the sky to see where the sun was, and saw that it was almost at the bottom of the horizon. Seeing this, I decided that now would be a good time to start heading back to the castle, only just realising how hungry I was.

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As with last time, I was met at the door by Kai, who bowed, and led me to the castle's dining room. At the door, I was about to enter when I realised that I still had my claws strapped across my back. Before he could remind me to take them off, I undid the straps holding them in place and handed them to him. He smiled at me and asked "May I store these in the armoury story sir?" I smiled and replied "Of course Kai, thank you." He bowed and left.

Entering the room, I saw that it was about the same size as the Throne Room, but its main feature was the large table in the middle of the room, with a multitude of chairs arrayed around it. At the head of the table was a large chair, with a long tall back and arms for the occupant.

When I walked in, there were 3 people around the table already; Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and their friend Kristoff, the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer. I had seen Kristoff a lot more than I had seen the two sisters, but I had never talked to him.

When they heard me enter, they turned to look at me. Elsa smiled at me, and Kristoff had an enormous grin on his face, but Princess Anna gave me another cold look, making it very clear that she didn't like me. As I approached the table, Elsa gestured for me to take a seat on her left, opposite Kristoff.

As soon as I had sat down, Kristoff, still grinning, extended his hands across the table, wanting to shake my hand. "Nikolas, right?" I nodded, taking his hand. He nodded and added "I think I've seen you around before, in the town and up in the mountains too." I nodded again, remembering that I'd seen him and his reindeer, Sven, heading off to the ice fields.

Thinking of the reindeer, I added "You know, I almost expected to see Sven here with us too." Kristoff laughed, and Elsa smiled. However, Anna's face stayed cold and unfriendly, a look which unnerved me. "Well, I would've bought him with me, but they're not particularly fond of reindeers being inside the palace." I feigned a look of shock, earning another smile from Queen Elsa.

Before Kristoff and I could make another joke, Elsa interrupted. "Good evening Nikolas. I hope you're hungry." I grinned at her, and joked "Don't worry your Grace, I'm always hungry." Kristoff and Elsa smiled, and she said, "Please, call me Elsa Nikolas." I smiled, and answered "Ok."

The rest of the night continued much the same way as the start, with either Kristoff or I making a joke, and Elsa trying to hide how funny she thought it was. However, not Once did I see Princess Anna smile, and she did not speak to me all night. Seeing her made me wonder what is done to make her hate me so much.

After we'd eaten, we sat for a few minutes, before I decided that it was time to go, given I was tired and needed to leave early in the morning.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay for a while longer, I fear I must go, I really need to get up early in the morning. Goodnight all." However, before I could go, Elsa called out "Wait! We've made up a room for you in the guest quarters; Kai will show you where to go."

I nodded my thanks, and left through the doors I came in, and found Kai waiting outside. He bowed and led me to my room, where I found my claws and the straps on a table in the corner. Tired, I fell into the bed and quickly fell asleep.

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"So what did you think of him?" I asked Kristoff. Kristoff had always been a good judge of character, and if Kristoff had liked him then it was a safe bet that he was trustworthy.

"Well, he seems friendly enough, but what you told me about the claws makes him seem a little... unnerving. But, if didn't know about them, then I would have thought that he was a perfectly good person." He replied.

Breathing out a sigh that I hadn't realised I'd been holding, I said "Thank you Kristoff. You know I value your opinion when it comes to people." Kristoff smiled at me again, before asking "If it is ok with you Elsa, may I retire now?" "Of course Kristoff. Will Anna be joining you?"

Kristoff and I looked at Anna, who was frowning, probably over what Kristoff had said about Nikolas. However, she quickly nodded, and stood with Kristoff. "Goodnight Elsa, I will see you in the morning." And with that, the pair turned and left through the same doors that Nikolas had a few minutes ago.

Sighing, I too stood up and retired to my own chambers.

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The next morning, I woke up to sun light streaming in through the open curtains, and it fell directly onto my face. Realising that I hadn't closed them last night, I sighed and got up, still wearing what I'd been wearing yesterday. I looked out the window to see what time it was, and realised it was only just past dawn, leaving me with plenty of time to get to Elsa's Ice Palace and back again.

10 minutes later, I was walking through the marketplace, eating an Apple I'd bought from a kindly old man. As soon as I was outside the city, I pulled the claws out and strapped them onto my wrists. Then, I headed up towards the North Mountain.

And so it was that, by midday, I'd reached the upper reaches of the mountains.

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One of the things I'd always loved about being this high up was the view that you got of the kingdom and the surrounding area. It may have been a hike to get up this, but the view was well worth the effort it took. And if this was the view from here, I couldn't wait to see the view from the palace.

Although it wasn't winter yet, it always cold enough this high up for everything to be covered in a thin layer of snow. Everything from the trees to the grass was blanketed by the soft white stuff. When I was near the top, I even passed through a small grove of trees that had little frozen crystals hanging off them, and the way they caught the light was beautiful.

Everything on the mountain was beautiful. But nothing could compare with the beauty of the way that the Ice Palace. The way that the sun glinted off the multi sided edges of the Palace was breathtaking. Although I'd seen it from a distance, I'd never gotten this close to it, or the little ice bridge that led over the chasm.

Passing a large snow-covered rock, I made my way over the bridge and walked up to the large icy doors. Pushing them open, I was greeted by another stunning sight.

The Palace had looked beautiful from the outside, but inside was a whole different story. Around the outside of the room were two large frozen stair cases, which lead up to a large and beautiful archway.

As I walked up the stairs, I couldn't help but marvel at how beautifully formed the stair case was. Both sides were perfectly symmetrical, and looked beautiful in the light blue hue of the frozen ice. For the first time, I wondered how something like this hadn't melted in the summer heat.

Through the archway was another set of symmetrical stairs, leading further and further into the enormous frozen palace. Running my hands over the rails, I made my way up, marvelling at the craftsmanship of the palace. I could hardly believe that Elsa had made something so... Perfect, and in such a short time.

Finally at the top of the palace, I came out into a large room, with a large snowflake design on the floor. A large and beautiful crystal hung over the snowflake in the middle of the room at the end opposite the door that I'd come was another door. This door led out to a balcony, and I could see a small rectangular chest at the end of the balcony.

Walking out the beautiful double doors, I was so shocked that I almost couldn't move. The view from the balcony was amazing, and you could see all the way down to the palace, the forest I'd passed through where the snow line stopped and where the natural green began.

Managing to pull my eyes away from the view, I knelt down to the small chest, and opened it. Inside were a multitude if beautiful crystals and gemstones, some made of ice, while others were made if their natural materials.

Not for the first time, I was breathless.

My first thought was to go through the chest and find the rarest and most valuable gem I could for Queen Elsa. However, then I remembered my first thoughts upon seeing Elsa's throne, and its simple unornamented design.

And that was when I saw it. A beautiful and delicate little heart, and realised at once that this must be what I was sent to recover. It had been said that the key to Elsa's powers was love, and indeed her family motto was "Love will thaw", do I knew that this must be what I had been sent to find.

Gently, I picked it up and put it in a small pouch on my waist, and walked back the way I'd come.

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The first thing I noticed when I made it outside was the height of the sun, which had begun to dip lower as the afternoon went on. The second was that the snow-covered I'd passed on my way in was gone, and where it had been was an enormous snow-golem.

When it heard the doors close behind me, it turned to face me and roared, its clawed fists clenching. It's back and legs were covered in icicles, and its large mouth had several smaller icicles around it.

Seeing this golem made me think of what Anna may have called Marshmallow.

Standing my ground, I crouched down and readied my claws, a fierce snarl on my face. Just before I charged at the golem, it bellowed "Show your choice!" Momentarily stunned, I reacted quickly and pulled out the small crystal heart I'd taken from the chest.

Even across the bridge, the golem seemed to see the small heart. "You may pass" was its simple answer to seeing the heart, and it quickly turned back into its frozen rock form, leaving me stunned, but free to go.

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While I made the journey back to the kingdom, I studied the heart in the sunlight, and was surprised to notice one tiny little flaw in the centre. My first thought was "How could Elsa make sobs thing as perfect as the Ice Palace, but leave a flaw behind in this?"

My second thought was that it was flawed for a reason. But what was that reason?

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I returned to the kingdom at almost the exact time I said I would. When I walked through the gates, the sun was just about to dip below the horizon. I quickly made my way to the palace where Kai greeted me once more. Already knowing my business, he bowed and led me straight to a smaller room I hadn't been in before, which I realised must have been her office.

Handing Kai the leather bindings and the class, I knocked on the door, and waited for Elsa to answer. "Come in" she answered quickly. Slowly opening the door, Elsa looked up and smiled at me. "Good afternoon Nikolas. How was your trip?"

I bowed, and said "It went well. I recovered one of the items, but wax surprised to see a large snow golem; anything you can tell me about that?" Elsa smiled sadly, and replied "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, but it would have ruined the surprise. But I can tell you that he's there to stop anyone from taking more than one gem he coming to steal them." I nodded, understanding what she meant.

"Anyway, if you want it, I'll give you some time to choose who gets the gem, and you can give it to them at dinner tonight. Is that give with you?" I nodded, and Elsa ended "I shall see you at dinner then." Then, I bowed and left."

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Dinner was much the same as it had been the night before, even the same jokey nature. However, Anna was slightly less cold towards me than she had been the night before.

Once we had eaten, Elsa turned to me, and asked "Are you ready?" I nodded, ready to show her my choice.

"So, from the small chest in the Palace, I recovered this." Holding up the small heart, I saw a look of joy briefly cross Elsa's face, but she hid it quickly. I continued on, saying "Coming down the mountain, I took the chance to study it further, and found a single, tiny flaw. After seeing the perfection of your Ice Palace Elsa, it seemed odd for such a flaw to be present."

Watching how the Anna, Kristoff and Elsa reacted to this, I was about to keep going, before Elsa interrupted "What made you pick the heart?" Momentarily thrown out, I quickly answered "I understand that love is the key to controlling your powers, and that your love for Anna is what allowed you to end the winter." Ends nodded, and I kept going.

"The only reason for such a flaw would be present would be if it was meant to be there, which made me think it was put there to make it easy to break apart. Originally, I was going to give the heart to Anna, as a sign of your love for her. However, now..."

As I trailed off, I picked my knife up of the table, and twirled it in my fingers for a few seconds, with the heart on the table. Then, I quickly slammed the knife down, directly into the flaw, and watched as the two halves separated perfectly. Anna, Kristoff and Elsa all gasped at one at this, but a smile quickly broke over Elsa's face

Picking up the two halves, I handed one to Elsa and one to Anna. Still smiling, Elsa looked at me and said "Congratulations Nikolas. You've passed the first test."


	3. Chapter 3

Frozen CRG 3

**A/N:  
Hey guys, I just wanted to thank all the people that have followed and reviewed so far. It makes me really happy to come home after school and see that people have reviewed or followed this **** Anyway, I've added in a different point of view (POV) for this chapter, just to see if it works for me. There's also going to be a little bit combat too, so let me know what you think!  
**  
NPOV

As soon as I heard those words leave Elsa's mouth, I felt an enormous smile of relief suddenly cross my face, and I was glad to have passed Elsa's test. However, my heart sank at Elsa's next words.

"However, this is only the first test. There is still one more test for you to do, as I want to test you in combat." Seeing how my face had fallen, Elsa was quick to add "Don't worry; this test won't be as hard, I just want to see how you fight before you are officially inducted into the Royal Guard."

I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this test would be much easier for me than this one had been. However, it would still be a challenge, and if always loved a physical challenge.

"Tomorrow, the best swordsman in the City Guard will be gathered here. Throughout the day, you will face about 20 of the kingdoms best swordsman, some of them individually, and some of them in 3 on 1 fights. Do you think you can do it?" Elsa looked at me, her question hanging in the air.

While I was sure that I could take the Guards on 1 at a time, 3 in 1 would be a lot tougher for me. However, knowing what could happen if I did to complete this test, I resolved to do everything I could to win tomorrow.

"Of course, what time will these fights begin?" Elsa smirked, and answered "You had an early morning this morning, so late morning should give you time to get enough sleep, and still prepare yourself. How does 11 sound?"

I breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that I wouldn't need to get up as early as I'd needed to do this morning. However, now that it was late, it would be a good idea to retire early and get plenty of sleep. "11 sounds fine, Elsa. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to retire to my room and sleep, prepare."

Elsa nodded, and bade me good night as I left the room and headed to the room I'd slept in last night. I closed the curtains, before falling into bed again. However, sleepy did not come as quickly tonight, as I was thinking of plans and strategies to use on my fights tomorrow, before eventually falling asleep.

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EPOV

As soon as Nikolas had left the room, Kristoff turned to me, a confused look on his face. "3 on 1 fights? Are you sure that's entirely fair?" I sighed, knowing that it wasn't necessarily fair, but it was justified.

"Kristoff, he has applied for a job in the Royal Guard. If he has to defend one of us, and I hope it never happens, he's going to have to fight off more than one fighter at a time. Besides, I'm sure that he can handle it; he wouldn't have applied for the job if he didn't think that he could do it."

Still looking unsure, Kristoff nodded, before adding "You know, I think I'll follow Nikolas' lead, and head off to bed. I'll see the pair of you in the morning." Anna and I bid him goodnight, and he left.

I looked at Anna, who had a confused look on her face, as opposed to the neutral and bored face she'd had before dinner. "What's troubling you Anna? Before you had the most bored look in your face, and now you look like you've lost the last piece of a puzzle."

Anna sighed, but the look didn't leave her face. "It's Nikolas. Before, I was sure that I didn't like him, and I didn't want him as part of the Guard. But now, after he managed to solve your little puzzle, I'm not sure what to think. After all, he worked out the connection to our motto."

Surprised that Anna had changed the way that she thought of Nikolas, I wasn't sure how to reply. Thinking it over for a second, I answered "Well, I won't tell you what to think of him, I'll let you make up your own mind. But, make the right choice, as I might consider taking your argument into my opinion before I decide on whether to let him join or not."

Seeing I'd left her with a lot to think about, I added "I'll leave you to think now, Anna. I'll see you in the morning." I left the room leaving Anna alone.

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APOV

Elsa's words had frustrated me almost as much as my own internal conflict. She knew that when he first introduced himself, I'd been less than impressed, and she heard me wish that Marshmallow would throw him off a cliff, and she'd really hated hearing that.

But now, after he'd passed Elsa's little test, I found that I wasn't sure what to think about him. i knew he'd worked out the puzzle in Elsa's test, which meant that he earned her trust. And, if he'd earned Elsa's trust, then I suppose he'd earned mine too.

Finally tired, I left the dining room to go to my own bed, quickly falling asleep.

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NPOV

Without the strong sunlight coming through the curtains, I woke up a lot later the. I had the previous morning. Getting up and out of bed, I slowly pulled the curtains open, and allowed a little bit of sunlight to come in. Looking out the window, I saw that the sun was rather low in the sky, and it was almost 10.

With a sigh, I turned and prepared to leave. The coming day would be a long one, and to preparer I went straight to the kitchens, to see if there was any food. 10 minutes later, I was sitting at a table, eating a sandwich that I'd made, which had just beef on it. Once I was done with that, u ate an apple, and left the room.

Walking out through the castle gates, I could see a small crowd of City Guard's beginning to form. The uniform and armour of the City Guard was very plain and sturdy, which made it easy to recreate. Often, the larger men in the Guard wore a heavier version of the armour, while the smaller men wore a light armour version.

Most of the gathered Guardsmen had a sword on one hip, and a shield secured to their forearm. However, there were a few that had different weapons, like axes, and there was even one mace. As I looked, I realised that there was even further variety among their weapons. While one man wielded two short daggers, the man next to him had an enormous broadsword.

Looking at the men gathered before me, I realised that this was going to be one hell of a day.

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As the Guardsmen laughed and joked with each other, I stood in the shadows of a corner, almost hidden from them. However, when I saw Elsa and Anna leave the Palace doors, and enter the courtyard, I walked away from the wall and over to them.

I bowed, and greeted them. "Queen Elsa, Princess Anna. How are you two this morning?" Before Elsa could answer, Anna jumped in, and said "I'm good thank you Nikolas, yourself?"

Momentarily stunned by Anna actually talking to me, I almost forget to answer, but quickly replied "I'm good, thank you." As Anna turned to look out over the gathered Guardsman, Elsa gave me a look like she had no idea what had just happened, and I returned it. However, we both joined Anna in looking out over the Guardsman.

As the men laughed and joked I asked Elsa "So what exactly was your plan for this big fight?" Elsa turned her head to look at me, and replied "Well, as you probably noticed, we've got a range of armour and weapons here. I want to see how you fight against them, and how you react." I nodded, and pulled 8 dull pieces of metal from the leather scabbard on my back.

As I was putting these on the ends of my claws, Elsa noticed and asked "What are those for?" I looked up, and quickly replied "They're dull pieces, so I can practice for a fight without accidentally stabbing my sparring partner. The same way that your men practice a dull sword." Elsa understood and turned back to the Guards, while I undid the leather straps holding the scabbards on.

"Alright," I called out. "Let's get this started."

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To start with, Elsa picked one of the Guards that had a sword and shield. While we walked into the courtyard and prepared to start, Elsa called out "Wait! I think we need to have a sparring circle marked out." With that, she waves her right hand, and a small ring of ice leapt around myself and my partner. Satisfied, we began.

We walked around the circle, both waiting to see who would make the first move. However, I didn't have to wait long, as the Guard charged at me after a few moments. He kept his shield at a medium height, so that it still protected his body and swing his sword at me overhead.

I leaned back slightly, and moved my arms above my head so that my claws crossed above my head. I braces, and waited for the weight of the sword to crash down onto my claws. The impact was strong, but I held, and I heard a grunt of surprise from my opponent.

Seeing a chance to end this first fight fairly quickly, I pushed back with my claws, forcing the sword away. Then, I quickly put my foot behind him and spun around, so I was directly behind him. The jolt of the dull claws against his armour signified the end of the first fight.

For a second, there was quiet.

Then, all gathered Guards started clapping, impressed by the way I'd ended it so quickly. I have a quick look to Elsa and Anna, and saw that they too were clapping. I looked back at my opponent, and saw that, even though he'd lost, he was still impressed.

He nodded at me, before walking out of the circle as another Guard walked in. Like my first opponent, he had a sword on his left hip and shield on his left arm. He drew his sword, and and my second fight started.

Having seen the first fight, this Guard knew what could happen if he made the first move, and he was unlikely to be as aggressive as the first Guard. I decided that now might me a good chance to show them that I could be aggressive in a fight too, and made the first move. Seeing this, he raised his sword and prepared to meet me.

My first move was a quick undercut attack that he just managed to block with his shield, while quickly jabbing out with his sword. However, his sword had gone to far to the right, and he'd overextended himself.

With my left claw, I launched a quick feint at his right side, which he tried to block with his shield, while my real attack came from my right claw, just jabbing his right side with another fight ending jolt. He grunted, and walked off as the others clapped. Feeling a little more confident, I turned to the other Guardsman, and called out "Who's next?"

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Most of the other fights ended like this, with some going longer than most, and others being short, until we got to the last fight. By then, I was tired, as I hasn't rested much, and if been fighting for nearly 3 hours.

Then came the last fight.

I hadn't fought against the man with the daggers, or the man with the broadsword yet, and they looked at each other, nodded and entered the ring with me, as well as the first man I'd fought first. However, this time he had a mace.

Before we started, Elsa called out "Nikokas, I know you're tired, so this will be the last fight. However, it's probably going to be the hardest fight too." I grunted in response, and raised my claws.

To fight them all at once would be madness, so I needed to find a way to take them on one at a time. Daggers was wearing lighting armour, so he would be quick, while Broadsword was wearing thick heavy armour, something which would hamper him.

Before I had time to think about it anymore, it was time to start. The man with the mace came first, while the other two circles around at a slight distance to stop me from getting away.

The problem with fighting these three was that I couldn't entirely block their attacks. The broadsword would be too heavy and have to much force behind it to catch on my claws, the same problem I faced with mace. On the other hand, the daggers were too small and quick to catch, and even if I blocked one, the other would still be a problem.

I knew that Daggers was probably the biggest threat, as he would be quick and nimble. However, his short daggers meant that he only had a limited reach, something I could use to my advantage.

The mace man came at me first, his shield covering his body while he swung the mace low in an uppercut. I quickly jumped back, but he quickly swung again, overhead this time. I jumped to the side, and attempted to use the same method I'd used the first time. However, he'd anticipated this, and tried to bash me with his shield, which I realised was made of wood.

Narrowly avoiding the shield, I stepped back leaving all my enemies in front of me. Having a sudden idea, I made to charge straight towards Daggers, who nimbly got ready to dodge. However, I changed my direction at the last second, heading straight towards mace man. He raised his shield, and spread his legs so that he was in a string and sturdy position.

What he didn't count on was that this is what I'd wanted. At the last second, I dived onto the ground, and slide between his legs, before jumping up on the other side and giving him a light tap between his shoulder blades before he could react.

Left with two opponents to face, I first turned to Broadsword, as he'd be much easier to take out than Daggers. As long as I could get in close, I had the advantage, as he couldn't easily swing the enormous blade at a very close range.

And that was what I did. He swung at me overhead, in a blow that would have left a huge and painful bruise if he'd hit me, and I dodged the blow by spinning around it, and hitting him in the gut with both claws. He let out a frustrated grunt, and left the ring to join mace man.

With only Daggers left, I turned to face him, and we walked to each other, circling around. I knew he was going to try and dodge my blows, and had a way to counter it. I swung my claws at him at a few times, uppercuts and lower cuts, watching as he just danced away from them, before acting.

I feinted with my left claw, and as he dodged out of the way, I swept his feet out from underneath him with my own, leaving him to fall backwards. Before he could even move, my left points of my claw were gently resting in the middle of his chest, and he groaned. I offered him my right hand, and pulled him up before turning back to face the other Guards.

As soon as I turned around, they all stood up and starting clapping, impressed by the way is handled the 3 men. I turned to look at Elsa and Anna, and saw that they were clapping too.

Elsa then called out "Thank you for your help today everyone. Head back to barracks and have something to eat; you've all earned it." The Guards, all smiling, left the courtyard as I made my way over to Anna and Elsa.

Elsa, all smiles, said "Congratulations Nikolas. You were very impressive today." I bowed to the two sisters, barely able to keep the smile off my own face. When I stood up, Elsa continued, saying "Now that you've passed both tests, I think that it's fair to induct you into the Royal Guard now, but first I want to hear what Anna thinks."

Elsa and I turned to look at Anna, and she began by saying "I'd like to apologise for the way I treated you these last few days. It wasn't fair to you, as I knew nothing about you. However, now that I've seen that you've passed both if Elsa's tests, I've changed my mind. You would be welcome to serve as my Guard anytime."

A wide smile quickly broke across my face, and I looked back at Elsa, and she too was smiling. "Then its official," she said. "You'll be officially inducted into the Royal Guard tomorrow."

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**So this** **one has been the longest chapter so far, and I hope you all like liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Frozen CRG 4

The induction: Part 1

A/N:

Hi guys, this is chapter 4 ㈳6 This chapter was originally going to be one chapter that went up to the induction, but it quickly got too long so I'm making it into two parts, the second part of which will be up in either tomorrow or the day after. I was really busy with chemistry homework all day yesterday, so I wrote about half of this last night and the other half at school during my study period this morning. Hope you enjoy this one!

NPOV

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful, but still enjoyable. Anna, Elsa and I spent the rest of it sitting around and talking, really getting to know one another properly.

Not long before sunfall, Kristoff returned from his ice harvesting duties, and came to join us. When he joined us, he was in a jovial mood, and his mood only improved when Anna told him that I was to be inducted to the Royal Guard.

We continued to talk, all of us in a jovial mood, even the normally calm and collected Elsa. Eventually, long ached the sun had dipped below the horizon, Kai came to fetch us, and told us that dinner was served, and the 4 of us left the lounge and went to the dining room.

Once we were seated around the table, talk turned to what was going to happen in and for my induction tomorrow, which was when Elsa started "Your induction will be tomorrow evening, there's a few things that have to be done first." This surprised me, as I thought that I would just be inducted, and that would be it.

"First, you'll need to be outfitted for your Royal Guard armour. The blacksmith in town has a way with metals, and can make the most beautiful, but still incredibly practical armour. He should be able to have it ready for tomorrow evening, if you get there early enough. After that, you'll be taken to the stables to pick your horse."

That was what surprised me the most. I'd never thought that I'd get a horse, let alone one from the Royal Stables. It'd been a long time since if had my own horse, and almost as long since I'd last ridden a horse.

Elsa continued, saying "After that, you'll be free to do as you please until your armour is ready. And as soon as your armour is ready, we can begin your induction, and your official duties can begin. Is that alright with you?" She looked at me, and I quickly replied "Of course, just one question. What's my armour like?"

Elsa smirked at that, and replied "Now that would be spoiling the only secret left, so I'm afraid I can't tell you that. But I will say this; it's beautiful, and I'm sure you'll love it." I nodded, knowing I wasn't likely to get much more out of her.

Soon, Elsa decided that it was time for bed, and I a few minutes too, leaving Anna and Kristoff alone. However, rather than go straight to bed, I went and sat at a window, looking over the kingdom I was about to become the protector of. It was a daunting thought and a challenge, but a challenge which I was looking forward to.

I sat for a few minutes, before heading back to my chambers and climbing into my bed, and falling asleep.

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EPOV

Early mornings were not something that I'd ever enjoyed, and I knew that I would probably never grow to like them either. However, they were sometimes necessary to get things done, such as having a suit of armour made within 12 hours.

Kai woke me up just after sunrise, and I slowly managed to get up and get ready. Within 10 minutes, I was up and out of bed, and I went to wake Nikolas up. Walking to his door, I hesitated before slowly pushing open his door and creeping inside.

I could see his sleeping firm just lying in his bed, and I was almost tempted to leave him sleeping peacefully. However, I needed him to come and get fitted for his armour, so I had to wake.

Gently, I shook him slowly by the shoulders, feeling him slowly begin to wake up. As he slowly opened his eyes, he looked at me, before sleepily moaning "Elsa? Why are you waking me up so early?" I giggled, and whispered into his ear "Because you need to be fitted for your Royal armour, and if we don't go now it might not get finished."

Nikolas let out a loud groan, but answered "Give me 5 minutes, and I'll meet you in the courtyard." I nodded, and left him to get up.

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As he'd promised, he was outside in the courtyard almost exactly 5 minutes after I'd work him up, claws and all. He looked a lot better than I did on an early morning, but he was still very tired. He called out "Are you ready to go?" I nodded, and gestures towards the gates to the city.

The blacksmith was near the castle, just a short walk from the gates of the Palace. The blacksmith was a young man by the man of Arlund, who I knew had inherited the blacksmith business from his father, who's taught him how to smith. However, some said that he was a better smith than his father had been, as he knew secret smithing techniques.

When we entered the blacksmith, Arlund looked up from behind his counter, saw me, and smiled at me, bowing. "Good morning your Grace. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Before I could answer his question, Nikolas stepped out from behind me, and Arlund saw him. "Ahh, I guess you have come to have your Guard armour made then?"

I nodded, and gestured for Nikolas to speak to Arlund.

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NPOV

"So, you're the one Elsa picked huh? Did her choice have anything to do with those claws you're wearing on your hands?" Arlund was rummaging through a chest behind his counter, trying to find something, something that I presumed was a piece of armour. "Yeah, I suspect it may have been a factor, as well as my combat skills."

Arlund stopped searching and stood up, holding a piece of old and dull armour. He held it to me try on, before asking "So I'm guessing that you want to keep them as a part of your Guard armour?" Pulling off the shirt that I was wearing, I strapped the armour on, marvelling at how a piece of old and rusted armour could feel so comfortable.

I nodded, as I would never intentionally part with my claws. He nodded, thinking for a second before replying "Leave your claws with me, and I'll integrate them into your new gauntlets." I nodded, and removed the twinned gauntlets from my arms and held them out to him. He took them, placed them in his counter, and held out a helmet for me to try on

And that was how the next half hour went, until Arlund said "I think I have enough measurements to smith your armour now, it should be ready by tonight." However I almost didn't hear him, as my attention was taken by a familiar weapon on display.

Hung off a weapons track on the wall was a long halberd with a 20cm long blade at the tip of the staff, a weapon I'd once used when I still had a horse. The long shaft of the halberd made it an excellent weapon for use in horseback, and I was sure that one would come in handy now that I would have a horse again.

However, my thoughts we're interrupted by Arlund, who said "You know, you've got a thing for unique weapons." I nodded, knowing that this was an unusual weapon. "How much do you want for it?" However, Arlund shook his head and answered "That one isn't good enough for you. I'll have one made for you by the time your armour is fitted free of charge."

Before he'd even finished, Elsa tried to interrupt him, and tell him that she would pay, but Arlund just waved her away. "You can pay for the armour, but I'll take no payment for the halberd your Grace." Elsa sighed, but consented, handing over a small pouch that clinked when she placed it on the counter.

Arlund nodded, and bid us farewell, and we left to head for the stables.

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It'd been a long time since I'd last ridden a horse, but it was a skill I knew I would probably never forget. Now, I just had to find a horse that was right for me, amongst almost all the horses in the Royal stables. While some people believed that a horse was just a beast to ride, I believed that they were far more.

Elsa and I wandered through the stables, accompanied by a young stable hand that seemed to know most of the horses. We passed many horses, some that were black, some that were brown and some that were grey. But I didn't pass one that I thought I could take as my own horse.

Until we reached the end.

In one of the last stables was horse that was purely white, and beautiful. I knew that she was to be my horse. The stable hand nodded approvingly, saying "She's a fine horse, this one. In fact, she's the sister of your horse own horse your Grace." And with that I knew it was settled.

I turned to the stable hand, and asked "Does she have a name?" He shook his head, and answered "Naming a horse is a job for the one who rides it, not the one who feeds it." I nodded, and asked "Can I ride her?" The stable hand laughed and replied "Of course you can ride her, I'll fetch you a saddle." He turned to Elsa and asked "Would you like your own horse saddled, your Grace?"

Elsa nodded, and said "Thank you, that would be excellent."

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10 minutes later, Elsa and I were slowly riding through the city, headed out towards the gates. I gave her the same name that I had given my last horse; Brooke. As we approached the city gates, I looked over at Elsa and saw just how similar out horses were.

Both of them were pure white, and I could easily see how the two could be sisters. However, there were very subtle differences between the two, as Brooke had greyish hazel eyes, while Elsa's had bright blue eyes.

However, then we were out of the city, and we were free to ride as we liked. Having a sudden thought, I looked over at Elsa, grinning and called out "So just how good a rider are you?" Elsa turned to look at me, answering "If you're asking for a race, you've got it Nikolas. How far do you want to go?"

I looked around and saw a small hill with a single tree on it in the distance. "How about first one to the tree in that hill over there?" Elsa looked where I was pointing, nodded and called back "Whenever you're ready Nikolas." I walked Brooke over so that I was beside Elsa, and quickly said "Go!"

I managed to get Brooke away from Elsa and to a gallop just before Elsa got hers up. Brooke and I headed out to the tree as quickly as we could, and I quickly lost myself in the thrill of the ride. I was so lost in the thrill that I didn't notice Elsa and her horse disappear off the road behind me.

Brooke and I continued to ride for the tree, with Brooke easily running the distance. It felt good to have a horse again, and the thrill of the race was amazing. Brooke and I were sure that we were going to win. Until another white horse veered onto the road from a side path, about 50 metres

I was shocked. I looked behind quickly, and saw that Elsa wasn't there. I cursed for not realising that she'd left our path, and could only watch as she made it to the tree and the hill mere seconds before Brooke and I. As we rode up the hill, she had a smirk on her face, but it wasn't a cruel one.

She mockingly stated "And here I was, thinking that you'd actually be able to give me a challenge." I grinned back at her, knowing that she had won fairly. "Next time, I won't underestimate you, or your horse, Elsa." I looked at up the tree, and saw that it was an apple tree. I looked at Elsa, who was looking at the tree, and asked "Are you hungry?" She looked back at me, smiled and said "If you can get me an apple, then I'll forget all about the fact that I just beat you in a race."

I grinned again as I dismounted Brooke, and reached up to grab two apple's from a low hanging branch. I threw one to Elsa, who just managed to catch it, and then remounted Brooke. As I took a bite of the apple, I noticed how great it tasted. Turning in the saddle, I called out to Elsa "You know, I think this is the best apple I've ever had." She nodded in agreement and we turned back to head to the city.

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	5. Chapter 5

Frozen CRG 5

Induction Part 2

NPOV

After that, Elsa returned to the palace, leaving me alone and waiting for a messenger from Arlund. Looking up, I saw that the sun was almost in the middle of the sky, and decided that I would go to the marketplace again.

A couple of hours later, Arlund's messenger found me at stand selling jewellery, and told me that Arlund would be finished in less than an hour, and that I should come soon. I have him my thanks, and turned back to the young woman at the stall. I'd picked out a necklace for Elsa, as a way of showing my thanks for the horse and the armour. It was a simple silver chain, with a long but thin crystal, almost the same as an icicle.

I handed her a pouch with enough gold to pay for the necklace. She smiled at me, handed me the necklace in a small box, which I tucked into my pocket, and headed back to Arlund's store.

When I walked in, there was a large box sitting next to the counter, and I knew that it had to contain my armour. I walked over to it, but before I could open it, a voice yelled "Wait! Don't touch that!" I turned around, and saw Arlund standing in the doorway to the back of the store.

"Queen Elsa gave strict instructions that you weren't allowed to see the armour before your induction." I was about to protest, when he stopped me and added "I can show you your halberd though." I sighed, wishing I could see my armour, but followed him out the back, where he directed me to another door that led outside.

A few second later, Arlund walked out, two thin metal staffs in his hands, each one ending in a blade. He handed them to me, and said "They've got a few modifications. They come apart in the middle, and the blade at the end of the one of the sides pops off." Arlund showed me how to connect them, and I was surprised at how light it felt in my hands.

"They're made of the same metal as your armour. However, I gave it a light layer of iron on the outside, just to add a little weight. It should be able to take a blow from a broadsword now. Go on, have a swing." I nodded, and turned away from Arlund. Feeling how light the weapon was, I realised how easy it would be to swing it quickly, but that I still had enough strength to block a sword blow with.

I spent the next 20 minutes learning to use the halberd, before finally stopping. I turned back to Arlund, swapped the blade to my left hand and held out my right. He took it and I quickly said "Thank you Arlund. If my armour is anything like this, then I'm sure it will be perfect." He gripped my hand tightly, and answered "If you get a dent in it, I'm not bloody fixing it."

We both managed to keep a straight face for a second before bursting out with laughter. Once I'd finished laughing, I thanked him once more and headed back to the Palace.

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Evening quickly came, and the armour was delivered to my room by Kai. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly opened the box, but I was still totally unprepared for what waited inside. Inside the box was a set of boots, my gauntlets, a helmet and a large piece chest plate. However, what shocked me the most was the colour of the armour.

All 4 pieces of armour were made of a beautiful metal that have them a golden colour. It wasn't the colour of a golden piece of jewellery, as it lacked the shine that such a piece should have had. It was slightly dulled in colour, but still bright enough to tell how beautiful it was.

From running my fingers over it, I could easily tell that it wasn't made if gold, as a piece of golden armour would be too soft for it to be practical. But I couldn't identify what it was made of that gave it this colour, and I knew that I'd probably have to ask Arlund if I wanted to be sure.

I turned away taking Elsa's necklace from my pocket and putting on a small table, and proceeded to take the armour out of the box. I placed the helmet on my head, before pulling out the boots and the chest piece. Then, I saw the gauntlets.

When Arlund had said he would include the claws in my new armour, I hadn't expected this. Gone was the dull and half rusted iron that the claws had been attached to. It had been replaced by the same metal as the rest of the armour, the claws protruding out of the golden gauntlets. In fact, Arlund had even sharpened and shined the blades, making them beautiful once more.

Upon seeing the claws, I knew that I would have to find Arlund and thank him again, but now was not the time for that. Slowly, I began to don my armour, starting with the chest piece.

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EPOV

While I waited with Kai, Anna and Kristoff for the induction ceremony to begin, I was nervously pacing the length of my room, worried that Nikolas would not like the armour. Although I'd chosen it myself, I worried that he might not like the colour of the metal, or that it was too heavy for him.

With a start, I realised that Anna had called my name, and turned to face her. "Elsa, you need to calm down. I'm sure that everything is fine, and that Nikolas will love the armour. In fact, in pretty sure that he'll be putting it on now, getting ready for the ceremony."

Realising that I was probably overreacting, I calmed down and went to sit down with Anna and Kristoff. "You're right" I sighed. "I'm probably overreacting a little." I looked at Anna, who added "The armour is beautiful, and I'm sure that Nikolas can appreciate that."

I sighed again, and replied "I hope you're right." I turned to Kai, and said "Kai, could you please go and tell Nikolas that the ceremony can begin when he is ready." Kai nodded and left the room, and Anna, Kristoff and I followed a few moments later, headed to the Throne Room.

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NPOV

5 minutes later, I was fully armed and armoured. Arlund had even included a new scabbard for the halberd. It was made of two leather sheathes that I could place the two halves of the halberd in, and it was designed to be worn across the back.

Not long after, Kai knocked on the door to my room, and called out "Nikolas, Elsa says that the ceremony can start when you are ready." I answered "Thank you Kai, I will be out in a few minutes." Making one last check that I had everything, I quickly grabbed the small box for Elsa, and walked out the door, following Kai to the Throne Room.

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Once we reached the main door, Kai stopped, saying "Wait here." Then, he disappeared around the corner, slipping into one of the side doors, coming back a few moments later. He whispered "Open the doors, and walk to the Throne. You'll know what to do from there." Then, he turned around and headed back the way he'd just come from.

Taking in a deep breath, I pushed the two large doors open and walked into the Throne Room.

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EPOV

If I'd thought that Nikolas had been impressive without proper armour, nothing could compare to the way he looked in armour. As soon as we walked into the room, everyone in the room took in a deep breath, amazed by the beauty of his armour.

With the curtains being fully open, all the light of the sunset was coming straight through the windows, and falling straight onto the path that Nikolas was waking on. The way that the sunlight caught his armour was breathtaking, and I could scarcely believe that it was real. I made a mental note to thank Arlund again, knowing that he had done an amazing job on the armour.

By now, Nikolas had almost reached the Throne. For the induction ceremony, he needed two witnesses to swear an oath for him to say that he was worthy. Knowing I couldn't be one of the two, I'd picked Anna to testify about his wisdom, as that was why he had passed the first test. My second witness was the Captain of the City Guard, Lukas, who'd fought against Nikolas the other day.

When he reached the Throne, he knelt, and I prepared to speak.

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As I approached the Throne, I was surprised to see the man with the daggers, who I'd fought against the yesterday. He gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod but it was there. On Elsa's other side was Anna, someone who I was less surprised to see. In the room were many several of the other city guards, most of whom I recognised from yesterday.

By this time, I'd reached the Throne, and knelt down before Elsa, Anna and the Guard whose name I did to know. Elsa's voice rang out through the room. "As you all know, we are here to officially recognise Nikolas into the Royal Guard, a position he has earned. Before we begin, does anyone have any objections?"

The only sound in the large chamber was silence. After a few seconds, Elsa continued. "As you all know, Nikolas undertook two tests to prove himself to me. Beside me are my two witnesses, here to testify that he passed these tests. Princess Elsa, Captain Lukas, please repeat after me: I do swear that Nikolas has passed both tests."

Anna and Captain Lukas both waited a second, before both answered "I do swear that Nikolas has passed both tests." Anna's higher pitched voice was a stark contrast to Lukas' lower voice. Elsa continued, saying "Will you both swear that he would make a strong member of the Royal Guard and a good leader of Arendelle's military?"

That was the part which surprised me, as I didn't know I'd be in charge of all of Arendelle's armed forces, however I liked the sound of it, thinking if all the possibilities. "We swear that he will make a strong member of the Royal Guard, and that he will be a good leader of Arendelle's military."

Elsa nodded and turned back to me. "Congratulations Nikolas; you have officially been inducted into the Royal Guard.

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The rest of the evening was a blur, as I had many of the guards coming up to me, congratulating me in my appointment to my position. Through a conversation with Captain Lukas, I found out that the other two men who I'd fought against yesterday were his two sergeants, Max, who'd had the broadsword, and Oskar, the man with the mace. Both of these men came and congratulated me, and I thanked them both.

However, eventually the other guards left, leaving Anna, Kristoff Elsa and I, and we left the Throne Room to have dinner in the dining room. Over dinner, I said to Elsa "You know, you didn't actually tell me that I'd be in charge of all of Arendelle's military." Elsa frowned, answering "I know, and I should have. But does that a difference to you? Because I could change your role if you'd like?" I shook my head, quite happy with my roles.

After that, conversation turned to more trivial topics, and we laughed the rest of the night away. Eventually, Anna and Kristoff retired to their separate chambers, and now I saw my opportunity to give Elsa her necklace.

Pulling out the small box, I turned Elsa and said "Elsa, I know it isn't much but I wanted to thank you for allowing me to join the Guard, and for buying this beautiful armour and giving me a horse. All that means a lot to me, so I thought I'd get you a small gift in return." With that, I handed her the small box, and saw the almost shocked look on her face.

Slowly, she opened the box, and took out the necklace. She took in a sharp breath, and said "Oh Nikolas, its beautiful!" I blushed slightly, glad to have given a gift she liked so much. "Will you help me put it in?" I nodded, walking behind Elsa and doing up the small chain behind her neck.

She quickly stood up, and threw her arms around me in a hug, a gesture I quickly returned. "Thank you Nikolas, it truly is beautiful." She held the hug for a few moments more, before kissing me in the cheek, and saying "Good night Nikolas. I'll see you tomorrow, for your first day of real service." Then, Elsa left the room, and I followed a few minutes later, unaware that Anna had seen everything, and was smiling to herself.

A/N  
So, I did originally want to make this into one chapter, but I hadn't even gotten to the induction yet and it was almost 4000 words long. Anyway, after this chapter there'll be a time skip, skipping winter to just jump straight to spring. So, I hope you're enjoining this, and see you all next time ㈳6


	6. Chapter 6

Frozen CRG 6

A/N

**Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while! I've been really busy with a Modern History assignment in the American Civil War, and I only just finished it today. As a result, I basically write this entire chapter in the last 6 hours, so I hope you like it! And thanks again to everyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed this story ?**

**Warning: Rated T for language, brief description of violence and implied sexual harassment (Not abuse or rape)**

**NPOV**

A few weeks after my induction, the 3 long months of winter began. However, winter came and went with very little incidence. Most of my days would follow a fairly rigid schedule, with little variation.

In the morning, I would guard Elsa during her meetings with the Royal council or visiting dignitaries. In the afternoon, Elsa would normally spend time spend time with Anna, normally walking through the gardens and laughing. When this happened, I would train with the guardsman. Normally, I would practice new techniques with the halberd, sometimes fighting with one half of the staff and one claw, or the whole staff. However, twice a week I trained Kristoff in how to use a sword, as I thought it would be important one day.

Occasionally, Elsa would want to visit the marketplace or to ride her horse, Lune, in which case I would accompany her, either inspecting the wares in the marketplace or riding around the kingdom with her. From sunfall to late night, I would spend time with Elsa, Anna and Kristoff as we sat and talked around a fire, before we all went to bed.

Overall, it was a relatively uneventful 3 months. However, when spring arrived it started to get busier. Townspeople would come and see Elsa, requesting aid with problems that had sprung up over winter. However, most of then were simple things; a few extra hands to help fix a broken gate or a hole in a wall.

Then, there were the more complicated and dangerous problems. These tended to come from people that lives higher up the mountains, both inside and outside the constant snow line. Several people to come seek out the Court doctor, bringing sick children or frail grandparents with them. A few came with problems of wolves straying close to their houses, and attacking their livestock.

Problems like this were easy for me to solve myself, but it meant being away from Elsa unnecessarily. So, I trained a small squad of the City Guard to be basic, but competent trackers. After a week of practice and training, they were ready, and the wolf problems became very easy to solve.

However, there came a more complex problem, something I'd have to take care of myself; the bandit problem.

A few weeks after winter had ended, in the mid afternoon, a middle aged man came to the court, seeking urgent help with a problem. Kai and I greeted him at the gates, and he demanded to see Elsa, and said that it was incredibly urgent. Kai and I shared a look, knowing that Elsa was with Anna, and to interrupt their time together would annoy Anna.

Over winter, I'd found out that this was part if the reason that Anna hadn't liked me at first.

With a sigh, Kai and I turned to go and find Elsa, telling the man to wait behind. We walked back towards the palace gardens, and once we were out of earshot, Kai said, in a low voice "Elsa and Anna aren't going to like this." Keeping a low voice, just I case, I answered "I know. But if it's as urgent as this man says..." I trailed off.

"What do you think it is?" Kai asked. I shrugged, answering "Who knows? It could just be a simple overreaction to a wolf problem, or it could be something more serious. But we won't know until he sees Elsa, and talks to her." Kai nodded, and we continued to walk in silence. Once we reaches the garden, Kai turned toe and said "If you will get Elsa, I will bring the man to the Throne Room." I nodded, and Kai went back the way we'd come.

Entering the gardens, I walked for a few minutes, before hearing Anna's laugh, and walking to where I heard it. At first, Anna didn't see me, but Elsa did. When Anna realised that Elsa was looking at something else, she turned, and saw me. "Let me guess; someone to see me?" Elsa asked. I nodded, adding "He said it was incredibly urgent too." Elsa sighed, and turned to Anna, who was pouting.

"Would you like to come with me Anna? Or would you rather stay here?" Anna sighed, and answered "I'll came with you two. It's better than waiting here by myself." The sisters stood up, and the three of us turned to walk to the Throne Room. I took my place on Elsa's left, Anna on her right. As part of my duties, I pulled the two halves of my halberd out of a special scabbard that Arlund designed, and joined them together, leaving the second blade off.

A few minutes later, Kai opened the door and let the middle aged man in. He walked to the Throne, and went down on one knee before the 3 of us. "Your Graces, sir Nikolas. I come with an urgent problem, something that I can't deal with by myself, or with the help of other citizens." I looked at Elsa, who looked at me briefly.

"What kind of problem?" Elsa asked. The man took a deep breath and replied "My... My daughter. She's been... Kidnapped by bandits." Elsa and Anna both took in a deep breath, and I felt my hands grip my halberd tighter. "How long ago?" I quickly asked. "Yesterday." He answered. "I was tending to my cows, a few hundred metres away from the house. They rode up, and went through the house. Before I could catch them, they grabbed Aeri and fled."

"Do you know where they went?" I quickly asked. "I tried to follow them, but they were too fast in their horses. However, I did manage to track them up to a cave, higher up in the mountains, but I was too scared to follow them in." I nodded, and replied "A wise choice friend, those bandit probably would've killed you."

I turned to Elsa and asked "Elsa, may I speak to you, alone, please?" Elsa nodded, and stood up, walking behind the Throne. "You can't let the City Guard take care of this, it's too delicate." Elsa slowly nodded and said "You want me to send you, don't you?" I nodded, and Elsa sighed. "Tomorrow, take Kristoff with you. He'll help you find the cave."

Elsa and I walked back around and Elsa took her seat again. I began, saying "Tomorrow morning, I'll ride out, and I'll bring your daughter back, and I'll make sure that those bandits never hurt anyone again. I'll take my friend Kristoff as a guide. I'll make sure you get your little girl back." The man bowed again, and said "Thank you. I'll wait for you in the inn."

As he turned to leave, Elsa called "Wait! Please, wait here. I'll have our servants prepare a room for you here." The man bowed and replied "Thank you, Queen Elsa. That is very generous of you. Oh, and my name is Beirand, your Grace." With that, he left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Anna turned to me and yelled "You're going to take Kristoff with you?! What are you two thinking?!" Before I could say anything, Elsa said "Anna, I'm not sending Kristoff with Nikolas to help fight the bandits, I'm just sending him as a guide to help find the cave!" Anna, calming down, and feeling awkward she answered "Oh. Ok, that's ok then."

Elsa and I looked at each other, and stayed straight faced for a few seconds, before we both burst out with laughter, and Anna's cheeks went red.

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After dinner with Kristoff, Elsa and I looked at each other, nodded and told Kristoff about the bandits, and asked asked him to help us find the cave. After a moment of hesitation, Kristoff turned to me and answered "When do we leave?" Grinning, I replied "Early tomorrow morning, about 9." Nodding, Kristoff answered "In that case, I'll see you all tomorrow morning. Goodnight everyone."

Not long after Kristoff left, Anna left too, leaving Elsa and I behind. Elsa and I statues behind a few minutes more, before we both went to bed.

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**EPOV**

I woke up early next morning, knowing that Nikolas and Kristoff were leaving early. Struggling out of bed, I changed out of the light blue night gown that I'd worn to sleep in, and created a soft blue dress, similar to the dress that I wore most days.

I walked out if my room and saw Anna, still half asleep, but awake, outside her room. We both left the Palace, headed out towards the city stables near the city wall. Nikolas would be saddling Brooke, and he'd asked Kristoff to meet him there with Sven. We reaches the stables in a few minutes, seeing Kristoff leaning against a wall outside. Anna hugged him, and he looked at me, and said "Nikolas is inside."

I nodded, and went inside to Brooke's stable. As they were almost identical, their stables were next to each other. As I passed Lune's stable, she whinnied, and walked to the stable door. "Hey girl," I whispered as I rubbed her neck. "I handed her a carrot I'd picked up on the way in and whispered "I got you something. Thought you might be hungry." She whinnied again, and I smiled, before continuing to Brooke's stable.

Nikolas had already put her saddle on, and was about to lead her out to Kristoff and Sven. When he saw me, he smiled and said "Come to see me off?" I smirked and said "Of course I did what did you expect?" Still smiling, he offered me Brooke's reins to lead, and I took them.

As we walked back to Kristoff, Anna and Sven, I said "I need you to promise me something." He looked back to me, and raised an eyebrow. "Promise me that you'll be careful out there. That you'll come back in one piece." After Nikolas laid a hand against Brooke's side, she stopped, and Nikolas turned back to me, taking my hand.

"Elsa, I promise I'll be careful. There's no way I'll let the bandits get the better of me. I'll be back either tonight or tomorrow morning with Aeri, I promise." As soon as he'd finished, I threw my arms around him, still worried. Once I'd let him go, I picked up Brooke's reins and we carried on through the stables in a comfortable silence.

Once we reached the door to the stables, we saw Anna and Kristoff in a similar position to what Nikolas and I had been in a few moments ago. We looked at each other, and grinned. We walked over to them just as they broke apart. "Ready to go?" Nikolas asked Kristoff. He nodded, and said "Whenever you are." Nikolas turned back to me, and said "I'll see you tonight, ok?" I nodded, and he climed onto Brooke.

"We'll be back tonight." he called out one last time, and then Kristoff and Nikolas rose out through the city gates.

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**NPOV**

With Kristoff and Sven leading the way, it only took us a few hours to reach the cave. Dismounting a few hundred metres away from the entrance to the cave, we left Brooke and Sven behind a few tress and snuck up towards the cave. Kristoff had his sword at his hip, and I had my gauntlets on and the staff in the scabbard in my back.

As we approached the cave, I could see that there was one sentry standing at the entrance. However, he didn't really appear to be paying any great attention, and he hadn't seen us yet. Kristoff went to draw his sword, but I put my arm against his shoulder. "Go back, and wait with Sven and Brooke. I'll come and find you when I've got the girl." He nodded, and left.

Once he was out of sight, I started working on a plan to get to the cave without being seen by the sentry. Looking around, I saw that I could get to the entrance by going along the rocky wall, and get close enough to the sentry to kill him. Silently, I moved along the wall until I was just next to the entrance.

Silently, I launched around the corner quickly, and punched through the sentries chest, killing him instantly. Slowly, I moved into the cave, and took in a deep breath.

The cave was a lot bigger than I'd expected it to be. The roof was enormous,and the walls were very far apart. There were lots of side rooms along the way to the end, which was a long way away from the entrance. At the end of the cave, on a raised platform was a cage, where a young girl, no more than 17, sitting in the corner. I knew this had to be Aeri, and I started to work on a plan to get her out.

I knew that most of the side passages would have bandits in them, and that if I alerted them to my presence then they might kill Aeri. So, I made a plan to rescue Aeri before I killed the others. There were a three men standing around the cage, and they looked like they were jeering at Aeri, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

Slowly and carefully, I moved across the cave headed, to where Aeri's cage was. When I was about 20 metres away, I realised what they'd done, and felt my rage rising. Her dress had been torn in several places, particularly around the bottom, and it didn't even come to her knees. The top right sleeve and part of the top had been torn off, and the remnants of her dress and her bra were lying next to the cage.

Silently, I continued to move towards the cage, until I was right behind the guard closest to the cage. Letting my anger flow through my, I put all my anger behind a fierce punch, straight though his chest, killing him. Before the other two could react, I launched at the next one, putting both claws through his stomach, before using his body to block the blow from the other man's sword.

Throwing his body off my claws, I pulled the full staff off of my back, swung it sideways at the man. He tried to block it, but he was too slow, and the blade went halfway through his side, and he dropped in pain. Finishing him, I stabbed the blade through his chest as the light left his eyes.

Aeri had stirred in the cage, coming over to the side closest to me. Sheathing my blade and moving to the cage door, Aeri whispered "You're Nikolas." As I opened the door, I asked her "Are you hurt?" She stood up and shook her head, replying "Just my pride." Now that she was standing up, I could tell just how badly torn her dress was. It barely came halfway down her thighs, and where her sleeve was torn her right breast was almost visible.

Seeing an innocent girl like this made me angrier and angrier with the bandits, and I knew I had to kill them all. However, I needed to get Aeri out of here first. "We need to get out of here, and get you back to Arendelle." I was about to turn and leave when I remembered that her bra was on the ground next to cave. "And uhh, your bra was next to the cage" I awkwardly stuttered.

2 minutes later, we were about to walk out of the cave, when a door opened, and a bandit stepped out. He saw us, and shouted a warning to the other bandits. "Shit!" I muttered. I turned back to Aeri and yelled "Run!"

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**KPOV**

After a while, I saw Nikolas and a young girl sprinting towards me. Seeing them running made me realise that something was wrong, and my fear was confirmed when a group of bandits followed a few moments later.

As soon as Nikolas reached me, he grabbed Aeri and put her in Brooke, before yelling "Get Aeri back to Arendelle! I'll take care of these bastards, just go!" He quickly whispered in Brooke's ear, and then he ran off in the opposite direction. Taking one look back at the bandits, I yelled "Run Sven!" I knew that Brooke would follow, and we galloped off towards Arendelle.


	7. Chapter 7

**Frozen CRG 7**

A/N  
Hey guys, here's the second part of the bandit chapter. I hope you liked this one and the last one, I had a lot of fun writing them. I'm gonna try and start including Olaf too from now in, so let me know what you think of that. I'll try and have the next chapter up within a few days, but until then, here's this. Enjoy!

**Warning: Rated T for language and violence****  
**  
When Kristoff came back from the mountains, he rode Sven all the way through the city, straight to the palace, Brooke following right behind them. The horse and the reindeer didn't stop until they reached the doors to the palace. However, as soon as Kristoff reached up helped Aeri down off of Brooke, Brooke turned tail and ran, starlight back the way they'd came, as Nikolas had told her to.

The pair had walked up to the doors of the palace, Kristoff opening the large doors for Aeri while Sven waited outside. A few moments after they entered the Palace Olaf, who'd been enjoying the courtyard walked over to Sven, and asked "What's all the commotion about?" Sven, being unable to talk, nipped at Olaf's nose, who just managed to dodge the hungry reindeer.

In the palace, Kristoff was searching for Elsa, knowing that she needed to know what happened. Aeri was following him, knowing that finding the Queen or would mean that she could clean herself up, and wash all the dirt off of her herself, as well as putting on a new dress that wasn't torn

A few minutes later they found Elsa in the gardens with Anna, and both sisters cried out when they saw the state if Aeri's dress, and how dirty she was. However, Elsa let Anna take the girl, who was only a year younger than Anna, away to help clean her and wash her, because Elsa had noticed something that Anna hadn't realised straight away.

Nikolas wasn't with Kristoff.

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**EPOV**

Less than an hour after Kristoff and Aeri came back from the mountains, I was thoroughly interrogating them about everything that had happened on the mountain and where Nikolas had gone.

"He managed to get through the cave and reach me." Aeri said. "I was locked in a cage at one of the cage, guarded by three men. Nikolas managed to get past all the other bandits and killed those three, before letting me out if the cage. After that we tried to leave the cave, but a bandit unwittingly opened a door, saw us and raised the alarm." Aeri finished.

As soon as Aeri finished, Kristoff began. "After that, I saw the two of them leaving the cave, sprinting towards me and being closely followed by a small army of bandits. Nikolas stopped long enough to put Aeri on Brooke, told us to run and then fled in the opposite direction to Arendelle."

As I stood with my back turned to the two, I was playing with my necklace, the one Nikolas gave me in the day if his induction 3 months ago. Ever since he'd given it to me, it was the only necklace I'd worn, and touching it now made me think of Nikolas.

The hardest part was not knowing whether he was alive or not, or whether he was injured and needed help. We didn't have any way of knowing this, and the thought if Nikolas being injured or killed by bandits was almost too much to bear. I didn't know what I'd do if-

"Elsa!"

I blinked, Anna's shout having pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around to look at her and saw that the walls of the small room we were in were beginning to ice over, and the floor had already frozen over. Ashamed of letting my emotions get the better of me, I slowly thawed the room, concentrating on Anna and my love for her.

Once all the ice was gone, Anna came to me and threw her arms around me, whispering in my ear "He'll be fine Els'. He told Brooke to come back, so he must have a plan at least. I'm sure he'll be back in a few days, safe. I'm sure he's got a reason for not coming back with Kristoff and Aeri."

I sighed and whispered back "I really hope that you're right Anna."

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**NPOV**

Once I'd gotten away from the bandits and where I'd left Kristoff and Aeri, I found a good hiding spot, and from here I was able to count the bandits. Originally there had been 41, including their leader, but after I killed the sentry and the bastards guarding Aeri, that only left 37, including two had been sent to be sentries at the caves. I watched as they split into 7 groups of 5, and split up to try and find me.

I waited for a few minutes, before slowly climbing down the tree that I'd climbed, landing softly in the snow that was ever present this high up on the mountains. The snow made it easy to follow the footprints of the bandits, and I picked a set of foot prints to follow, drawing one half of my halberd.

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The first group hadn't gotten very far when I caught up to them. The first man died quietly, my right claw punching through his neck. However, when he hit the ground, the other turned turned around and drew their swords, encircling me.

After a few moments, one man swung at me, an iron sword clutched in his right hand. I caught the blow with my right claw and thrusted with my left arm, which held my halberd. The blade went straight through his stomach, and he dropped instantly. Before I had any time to do anything else, brute of a man swung an axe at me, and I barely managed to avoid it.

Before I'd had time to recover, another man swing at me, a sword coming down at me overhead. I spun away to the right and pulled the other half of the halberd off my back, quickly locking them together. The 3 men came together in front of me and advanced towards me, their weapons raised.

Holding my halberd about three quarters of the way down, I feinted, thrusting it forward, taking the man in the middle off guard. Before he or the others could react, I'd adjusted my grip and swung it over head, the blade burying itself where his collar bone met his neck. Pulling it out quickly, I thrust the blade at the man with the axe, going straight his stomach and pinning him to the tree behind him.

Finally I turned to the last man, who was still coming forwards, even without his comrades. I waited until he was close enough, before feinting a punch at his side, which he tried to block. However, I launched a lighting fast uppercut at this jaw, my claws going straight through.

I pulled my claw out and he dropped to the ground immediately, the light gone from his eyes. I turned back to the man pinned to the tree, who was struggling to pull the halberd out of his stomach. Knowing he'd die when I pulled the halberd out, I yanked it out and split in half again, putting the two sides back into the scabbard. Then I turned and left, leaving the 5 dead bodies for the wolves.

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**NPOV**

The next group died even in even less time than the first group. 3 of them fell before the other 2 knew what was happening, but as soon as they'd turned around I put a claw in the chest, dropping them. I followed the the other 3 groups, killing them too, until only the leaders group and his second in commands group were left.

What I hadn't expected was to find 10 sets of tracks, all leading back to their cave. I realised that they must have found out that I'd been following them, and they'd gone back to make a new plan. I began to follow them back to the cave, following the tracks from a few metres off to the side, in case they'd made a trap for me.

It took me about 10 minutes to get back to the cave, and I was back where I'd left Kristoff before I'd gone in. Unsurprisingly, Brooke was back and waiting for me, exactly like I'd asked her to. Rubbing her nose, she whinnied softly as a greeting. After a moment, I sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. Brooke sat down too, and I fell asleep, my hand against her neck.

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**EPOV**

When I woke up in the morning, I felt horrible, having had almost no sleep. I'd worried about Nikolas all night, and I hadn't been able to sleep. All night I'd worried about whether he was ok or not.

However, I couldn't spend too much time worrying about him, as much as it pained me. I had a meeting with the Royal council this meeting, and I had to compose myself before the meeting, and gather my thoughts. Besides, there was always a chance that Nikolas would return during the meeting.

Wrapping my hand around my necklace again, I whispered "Hurry up and come back already." Then I left my room for the meeting.

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**NPOV**

I woke up the next to morning to a soft whinny from Brooke. As soon as I was awake, I turned around to see what Brooke was looking at.

In the mouth of the cave, two bandits were mounted on their horses, one black and the other brown. I recognised them as the leader and the second that I'd seen lat night, and figured that they must have been setting out to try and find me. I watched them for about 2 minutes, before the pair galloped off down a path straight out of the cave.

I waited for another 2 minutes before resting my hand against Brooke's neck and whispering "Wait here." I jumped up and slowly moved somewhere where I had a better view of the cave, and saw that the two men hadn't left a sentry on guard. Smiling to myself, I moved to the entrance of the cave and slipped inside, knowing that now would be a good time to kill the remaining bandits, before I dealt with their leaders.

Slipping into the cave, I saw the remaining 12 sitting around a fire in the middle of the cave. One of them turned and asked his friend "How long d'ya reckon it'll take for the boss to catch up with the bastard?" His friend laughed and answered "That bastard was dead the moment they left, I'll bet you 30 coins they'll be back in under an hour!" The first bandit laughed, and replied "You're on!"

Slowly, I crept up towards them, drawing both sides of the halberd when I was a few metres away from them and the fire. Then, I struck, trusting the blades through two of the men's necks. Before the other other bandits could react, I'd yanked them out and thrown at two bandits across the fire, the blades hitting them right below the sternum, pinning them to their chairs.

As the bandits finally reacted, drawing their swords, I coldly announced "Looks like I'll be the one taking your coins."

Enraged by the deaths of their friends, one the bandits charged directly at me. I quickly spun away from the man, driving my claws through his back when he passed me. Another man came at me from the other side, swinging a sword overhead. I caught it on my claws, and kicked his knee out from underneath him, sending him to the ground. Before he could react, I drive one claw through his chest.

Quickly spinning around, I found 5 of the bandits coming towards me, while one with a bow and arrows stood back, aiming at me. One of the bandits that had made the bet shouted "Give up! There's no way that you're gettin' out of 'ere alive!" I smiled to myself, and darted forwards just as the archer was about to let go if his arrow. He jerked the bow forward, trying to aim at me, but he missed, hitting one of his own men in the back, leaving me with 4 to face.

Before he could shoot again, I was moving, running directly towards the other 4. The first man I got to swung at me overhead, but I ducked under it, getting behind him and using his body as a shield against the next man who attacked me. Before I threw the body away, I grabbed a dagger from his belt and threw it at the archer, seeing it bury itself hilt deep in his stomach. Turning back to the last three, I waited for them to make the the first move, as they started to encircle me.

The first man to attack was the one who'd swung at me and killed his friend. He swung his sword sideways in a two handed grip, putting all his strength behind it. Knowing that I couldn't catch it with my claws at this angle, I darted to the other side, and waited for him to finish his swing, seeing that he'd be off balance after an attack like that.

I was right, and he almost pitches forward onto his face. Getting behind him, I planted both claws into his back and ripped them back out, letting him fall to the ground. Now, there was only the two bandits that had made the bet left. as we circled each other, I called out "I'll make you a deal. Tell me why you took the girl, and I'll make sure you're deaths are less painful." The two men laughed not realising that I'd wanted to distract them, and called back. "Tell you what. Why don't you start running, so I can stab you in the-"

The bandits last words were cut off as I buried my claw in chest, piercing both his lungs. He tried to talk, but all that came out of his mouth was blood, and he dropped down to the ground a second later. Before he fell, I grabbed a dagger off his belt and turned to throw it, hearing his friend running away. I aimed for a second before throwing it, the blade landing in his thigh, and he fell.

As I walked to him, I yelled "You should've told me why you took her!"

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The bandit leader and the second in command returned just over an hour later. By then I was able to rig up a trap to catch the second, as I was going to kill the leader myself. And he was going to die painfully. Before he'd died, the last man had told me that they'd kidnapped the girl to use as they wished, confirming what I'd already thought. For that, I was going to make sure the bandit leader died painfully.

After he took a few inside, the second stepped straight into my snare trap, and it reacted, tightening around his ankle and hanging him from the roof. The leader, only a few steps behind saw this, and then me, and he smiled darkly as he drew his broadsword. "First, you took my slave, then you killed all my men, and now you to fight me?! Fine then, prepare to die!" He bellowed, and charged at me.

As he wasn't wearing a helmet, I could see all the anger and rage written across his face at the death of his men. Knowing that he'd put all his strength behind his attacks, I realised that I was in for a tough fight.

The first blow was one that came overhead, and I easily blocked it with the halberd. I pushed his sword back, and thrust my halberd at him, feeling it simply slide off of his thick and heavy armour. He laughed, and roared "You'll have to do better that!" He swung his sword at me again, this straight at the side of my head. I jumped back quickly, but I didn't get far enough, and the very tip of the sword sliced into my cheek, leaving a pretty deep gash.

He laughed, and mockingly roared "I think you're bleeding, you bastard!" Before he could swung again though, I darted to his side, and got behind him. Before he could turn to face me, I swung my blade at his unprotected neck. A few seconds later, I heard the thud of his head hitting the ground, closely followed by his body.

I walked over to the only bandit left, still hanging. He'd tried to free himself, but he'd failed and given up. "Go on then, kill me!" He yelled. He braces himself for the swing if my halberd, but I cut him down, and he landed on his back. I knelt, and pressed my claws against his chest, and whispered "I'm leaving you as a warning. Tell every bandit you meet that if they ever kidnap another woman, then what happened to your group will happen to them to."

Standing up, I left the cave and walked to where I'd left Brooke. She whinnied when she me, and I rubbed her nose when I reached her. Looking up at the sky, I saw if was just after midday, and I mounted Brooke, and said "Let's go home girl." 


	8. Chapter 8

Frozen CRG 8

**A/N  
Hey guys, here's the third chapter in this little bandit story. I've tried to grow the relationship between Nikolas and Elsa a lot in this chapter, so please let me if you liked it. I won't be posting anymore until at least Monday, as I've got a speech to write for Ancient History, and I really need to focus on it ? Bit I promise once that's done I'll be back here with a new chapter for you, so I hope you enjoy this one!**

**NPOV**

By the time I got back to Arendelle, it was almost sunfall, and the cut on my cheek had bled almost the whole way back, and most of my left left cheek was covered in blood. As I rode through the city to the palace, I knew I was getting strange looks from most of the people I rode past, while same gave me looks of concern. However, I ignored them all and continued riding to the palace.

When I rode in the gates and into the courtyard, the large doors burst open and a group of people ran out to see me, Elsa at the fore front of them. Slowly, I dismounted Brooke, feeling a little dizzy as I landed. However, I managed to stagger forward a few steps, getting closer to Elsa.

Then, everything went dark, and I fainted.

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**EPOV**

Standing on the balcony, I was able to see back to the city gates, and I saw Nikolas and Brooke enter. After watching them for a moment, I was sure that something was wrong, and Nikolas didn't seem to be sitting right. After a second of hesitation, I turned and ran back inside to find Anna and Kristoff, knowing that I'd need their help if there was something wrong.

When I found a minute later, they were sitting in a lounge room with a small fire going. They look up, slightly worried when they heard the doors crash open. "Nikolas, is back, but something's wrong." I almost yelled at them, and they jumped to their feet. For the first time all day, I saw Aeri. She was sitting in a corner, and looked concerned that about Nikolas. I asked her "Aeri, can you come too? We may need your help."

She nodded and stood up, and the 4 of us left the small lounge room and were running down to the large palace doors. Along the way, we also picked up Kai, and we found Olaf wandering near the doors, and he quickly followed us, wanting to see what the commotion was.

As soon as I reached the doors, I violently shoved them open, wincing when they crashed against the palace walls. However, neither the doors or the walls were my concern at that point. All my attention was focused on Nikolas, his once beautiful golden armour stained with blood, and his left cheek covered in it.

As I ran towards him, he dismounted Brooke, who gave a small concerned whinny as he landed, staggering slightly. However, he began to walk towards us, taking a few slow and unsteady steps. When I was only a few metres away, he began to collapse, slowly falling to the ground. I was there just fast enough to stop him from hitting the ground, but he was out cold, and we needed to get him inside quickly.

I turned back, his head gently resting against me, and I was about to tell at Kai to get the city doctor, when Aeri, standing right behind me quickly knelt down on the ground next to us and whispered "Don't worry your Grace. He's still alive, he's just lost a lot of blood. If we get him inside I can sew the wound up and stop the bleeding." Almost in a state of shock, I just nodded and waved Kristoff and Kai over.

Aeri took over, saying "Help me get him inside the castle, I need to close that wound." Before Kai and Kristoff could pick him up, I held my hand up and gestured for them to wait. Trying to concentrate on Anna, I slowly raised my hands and created a small stretcher underneath him to make him easier for Kai and Kristoff to move.

Once it was done, I stood back and let Kai and Kristoff take him inside, Aeri following close behind him. I made to follow them inside, but Anna stopped me and whispered "Not yet Elsa, give them a few minutes first. We'll only end up getting in the way." As much as it pained me, I knew Anna was right, and I threw my arms around her, feeling her return the gesture.

Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around my leg, and I looked down to see Olaf hugging my leg, and he said "What? I wanted to be apart if the moment too!" Anna and I looked at each other, and laughed, despite the situation.

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Anna and I waited for 15 minutes before we went to find Aeri and Nikolas, and we found out that they'd carried him back to his room. Outside his door, we found Kai, who Aeri had asked to wait outside to keep people from entering. However, he said that Aeri had only asked for 20 minutes, and she'd be out any minute now.

He was right, and Aeri came out about two minutes after we arrived. Seeing us, the younger girl smiled and said "He's going to be fine, he'd just lost quite a bit of blood. However, now that the wound is closed, he hits needs to rest for a few days to let his body recover." I let out a breath that I hadn't realised that I'd been holding in, feeling as if a big weight had just been lifted from my shoulders.

Hesitantly, I asked, "Am I allowed to go and see him?" After a momentary pause, Aeri nodded, and said "He's still out cold, but if you'd like to see him, let's go." She turned back and opened the door that she'd just closed, and Anna, Aeri and I walked in

Nikoas was lying still on his bed, his bloody armour and gauntlets on a table in the corner of the room, his boots at the foot of the bed. Aeri had pulled up a sheet over his lower half, but she'd left the his arms and torso uncovered. For the first time, I noticed just how muscled Nikolas actually was, his chest muscles and his arm muscles clearly visible as he laid on the bed.

Turning my attention to his face, I saw that his eyes were closed, and the bloody wound on his cheek had closed and the blood washed off his cheek. Looking around the room, I saw a small basin of dirty reddish water in the corner. I looked back at Aeri while pulling a chair next to the bed and said "Thank you Aeri. You've done a great service to both myself and to Arendelle."

Aeri blushed and said "Thank you, your Grace. Nikolas saved my life yesterday, and when I saw him today, I knew that I had a chance to repay the favour." I nodded, and said "No matter the reason, you've done a great thing for me. Thank you." Still blushing, she smiled and turned around. I looked at Anna, who was standing awkwardly in the corner, like she felt out of place.

I called out to her, saying "Anna, could you please find Kristoff and Kai, and thank them for bringing Nikolas inside?" Anna nodded, and left the room, looking almost glad as she left. I turned back to Aeri, who was folding up a bloody bandage. Aeri, where did you learn to do all this?" Aeri blushed again, and answered "Living outside the city walls is dangerous your Grace, and it also means we're far from medical help. My father asked me to learn as he thought it would be in important one day. As we found out, it was today."

I nodded and sat down in the chair that I'd pulled over "Still, I don't think that I've thanked you enough." I said. "As a thank you, I'd like to offer you place her in the palace, working as a doctor for the people of Arendelle. Your father would also have a place in the city, so he would never have to be too far."

Aeri gasped, stunned by what I'd just offered her. "Are you being serious your Grace?!" Aeri almost screamed. Grinning, I nodded. "Of, course Aeri, and please, call me Elsa." Struggling to contain her excitement, Aeri managed to reply "Thank you your Grace. Uhh, I mean Elsa. I'll go and tell my father." With that, Aeri ran put of the room, leaving Nikolas and I alone.

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I say there by Nikolas' side for the rest of the evening, only coming out when dinner was served. Afterwards, I came back to his room to sit for a whole longer, before I went back to my room to sleep.

When I went to stand up and leave to my room, Nikolas stirred slightly, groaning as his eyes slowed flickered open. Seeing this, I went over to the door, and yelled "Aeri, he's waking up!" About 30 seconds later, Aeri ran to the room we were in, squeezing past me to get to Nikolas' side. By the time she'd gotten to his side, Nikolas was trying to sit up.

Aeri gently put her hands against his chest, pushing him slightly, and quietly said "Easy, easy, lie back down. You're not quite ready to get up yet." Lying back down again, Nikolas groaned again, and asked "Where am I?" Aeri, who'd grabbed a towel and a fresh basin of water replied "You're in your room, at the palace. What do you remember?"

As soon as Aeri asked him what he remembered, I noticed his hand go up to his left cheek, his fingers brushing over where the bloody gash had been. Feeling his fingers brush over the stitches, he answered "I can remember... Riding back to Arendelle, and then dismounting Brooke. And that's about it."

Aeri nodded, and said "When you got back to the city, you had a deep gash in your left cheek, and you'd lost a lot if blood. After you dismounted Brooke, you blacked out and we carried you inside. And that's how you got here." Nikolas nodded, and looked past Aeri, seeing me for the first time.

In a quiet voice, Nikolas breathed "Elsa." I went back to his side and held out my hand and answered "It's nice to see that you're awake now." He managed a small quick smile, before Aeri quickly called out "Try not to smile, you might pull the stitches out." He nodded, and looked back at me, giving a slight frown, before asking "I gave you a fright, didn't I?"

I nodded, answering "Yeah, but you're fine now, so it doesn't matter. Aeri said that you should be back on your feet and on full duties within a day or two, but you'll need to rest until then." He groaned, and I knew that he'd hate being stuck in bed for more than a few hours. "Don't worry, I'll come and see you whenever I get a chance." Aeri chimed in, saying "And when Elsa's not here, I'll come see you too."

He nodded reluctantly, resigned to his fate for the next day or two. "It's good to see that you're ok Aeri." She smiled, saying "I'm just glad that you're alive. And saving you was the least that I could do to repay you for what you did yesterday." He gave a small smile which Aeri returned. Together, the three of us sat and talked, and eventually Aeri let Nikolas sit up, gesture he appreciated.

Eventually, Aeri decided that Nikolas needed his rest, and Aeri and I said goodnight, leaving the room. Before I went back to my room, I showed Aeri the room I'd asked Kai to make up for her, which was very close to Nikolas'. I said goodnight to her, and went to my room, knowing if sleep well now that Nikolas was back.

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I woke up later than normal the next morning, taking the opportunity to catch up on sleep that I had missed. I got dressed, exchanging my pale blue nightgown for a soft icy dress. Leaving my room, I went down to the dining room, finding Kristoff and Anna together, already eating.

When they saw me, Anna asked me about Nikolas, with Kristoff listening intently. I answered Anna, saying "Aeri said that he's going to be fine, he just needs some rest." Anna nodded, and the three of of us sat at the large table, which felt too big for three people.

After breakfast, I left the dining room through the large doors, headed to the mornings council meeting. Walking outside the doors, I was met by Max and Oskar, Captain Lukas' two sergeants in the City Guard. Both men saluted, and Max said "Queen Elsa. Captain Lukas sent us as your guards for the morning." I nodded and relied "Lets go then."

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After the council meeting was over, I dismissed Oskar and Max, and went to see Nikolas, where I found him and Aeri together. Nikolas smiled at me slightly, the stitches still in his cheek. "Good morning Elsa, how was the council meeting?" I shot him a look, both of us knowing how boring the council meeting's could be.

He cringed at my look, and answered his own question, saying "Alright, stupid question." Before I could answer, Aeri gently laid a hand on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear "Ask him about the good news." I frowned, and turned to Nikolas just as Aeri quietly slipped out the door.

Still frowning, I asked "Well, what's the good news?" Smiling again, he slowly stood up, saying "Aeri's decided that I was allowed out of bed now, and that I can resume most of my duties tomorrow. I can return to full duties once I get these stitches out in 4 days time." Overjoyed that I would get Nikolas back tomorrow, I threw my arms around his neck, a gesture he returned a few seconds after me.

We stayed like that for a while, not knowing that Anna and Aeri were watching us through a crack in the door, smiling to each other.

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That afternoon, Nikolas and I walked through the gardens, him still a little unsteady on his feet. But Aeri had said that he was fine to get up, and if he was back on duty tomorrow then I wanted him to be fine before tomorrow. While we were walking though, we were totally unaware that Aeri, Anna and Kristoff were standing together in the palace, watching us and smiling.

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After spending the most of the evening with Aeri, Anna, Kristoff and Nikolas, we eventually decided that it had grown late in the evening, and we retired to our separate rooms. Like the night before, I had a good night of sleep, something that I didn't always get as Queen.

When I woke up, it was back to business as usual, with Nikolas accompanying me to the council meeting and spending the afternoon engaged in an intense snowball fight in the gardens with Anna and I. After about 10 minutes, someone nailed me in the back, and I whipped around to see that Kristoff, Aeri and Olaf had come to join in the fun.

Anna, Nikolas and I teamed up against the other three, and fight went until sunset, when we were finally too exhausted to keep going. As we went back inside the palace, I looked at my five companions, and thought about how lucky I was to have them, a group who I knew would be there for me whenever I needed them. With a smile on my face, I followed them inside.


	9. Chapter 9

**Frozen CRG 9**

**A/N  
So for those of you that liked the HTTYD crossover, I'm sorry but it's gone. On the advice of some friends and another user on the site, I've decided to replace it with another chapter that is more relevant to the Frozen universe. I know it's not an entirely new chapter, but I'll work on getting one done soon for you guys. And thanks for sticking with this story guys ㈳6**

**NPOV**

After a few days, everything began to go back to normal. Aeri took the stitches out of my cheek, and I was able to go back to my full duties. However, the blade had left a long scar on my cheek, travelling almost directly across my jawline. Whenever people saw me they stared at it. However, I was used to the stares by now, and I largely ignored them.

Elsa and Anna hadn't really seemed to notice it at all, and, apart from Kristoff, barely anyone in the palace had commented on it. The night before, Kristoff and I had been talking about my scar and joking about it. "You know," Kristoff had said. "I'm pretty sure that scar was actually an improvement for you." We kept a straight face for a second, before we cracked up.

And so it was that 5 days after being allowed out of bed I was training with the City Guard in th courtyard. After hearing about how I'd killed 40 bandits in less than a day, many of the younger guards had become awestruck. When I was drilling with them the day before, I'd had to remind one of them that we were actually training, a scene that had elicited a laugh from some of the other guards and a grin from the man himself.

This afternoon, I was sparring with Captain Lukas while Max and Oskar looked on, watching how the pair of us moved. In his lighter armour and only a sword, Lukas could move much faster than Max with his heavy armour and broadsword, and slightly faster than Oskar. Tomorrow, they would both have their turn to spar with me, a prospect that the pair where excited about.

Using my halberd, I had a greater reach than Lukas but his lighter armour and sword meant that he had the advantage in speed, and the duel was in a stalemate, each waiting for the other to slip up and make a mistake. All four of us knew that this could go on for a while, but none of us knew who it was going to be.

In attempt to force Lukas' hand, I jabbed the blunted halberd head towards his left side, going across his body. It wasn't meant to be a proper attack, and Lukas knew it, barely moving to avoid the blow. With a grin, Lukas spun away from the halberd and swung his sword at me. I barely managed to get the shaft of the halberd up to block his attack, and I had to move it when he swung at my side next.

Seeing a real chance this time, I jabbed the end of the halberd behind Lukas and swept it back towards me, knocking him off of his feet and sending him crashing into the ground. Seeing the end of my halberd pointed at his chest, he yielded, and I offered him my hand. Ha accepted, and I pulled him up.

Once he was on his feet, he clapped me on the back, a grin plastered across his face and said "You know, I think that this was the best spar I've had in a long time." I grinned back, answering "And I can see why, that one could've gone either way." Looking around, I saw that our little sparring match had attracted quite a crowd, with quite a few of the guards watching us, as well as Elsa, Anna and Aeri from the palace.

When I saw them, I gave them a mock bow, causing them all to start giggling. With a grin still on my face, I turned back to the guards who'd gathered to watch out sparring, and called out "I thought I left you lot with some drills to do!" They laughed, and went back to what they'd been doing before.

Turning back to Lukas, Oskar and Max, I saw that Oskar and Max looked just as keen for our sparring match tomorrow, their eyes wide with matching grins plastered across their face. I asked"Are you two ready go tomorrow?" The pair looked at each other for a moment and turned back to me, still grinning. I let our a laugh calling out "I'll take that as a yes then."

A few minutes later, I bid the trio goodbye, heading up to the balcony where I'd seen Elsa, Anna and Aeri.i walked up to stand next to them, watching the guards continuing to drill, now under the eye of Lukas. Elsa turned to me, and said "You know, the 4 of you have a strong command over the City Guard. You all work well together, and you get along with them just fine."

Anna, Aeri and I all nodded, seeing that what Elsa had said was right. I called back "You're right Elsa, and I think Captain Lukas makes the best choice for their captain. He's got skills with a weapon, and he can be calm and level headed in a tense situation." The three girls nodded, and for the first time I noticed how different they looked from each other.

Anna's reddish hair was done in two braids going down her shoulders, and both her hairstyle and her colour were very different to Anna and Elsa. Elsa's platinum blonde hair was almost always in a long braid going down her left shoulder, and and Aeri's straight and brownish blonde hair normally was normally just left out, coming down to about halfway down her spine. However, the one thing that all three of them shared was strikingly blue eyes.

I looked at the three of them for a few seconds more before turning back to the courtyard. Although these were technically captain Lukas' men, as the Captain of the Royal Guard I had control over all of Arendelle's military resources, which wasn't a great deal. In fact, Arendelle's military was so small that if an enemy attacked then we would need the strength of our allies to defeat them.

Putting these thoughts out of my mind, I watched Lukas show the youngest Guards the best stance to block a axe blow with a sword, and smiled to myself when they all had a few minutes later before he dismissed them.

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The next morning, Elsa and I rose early for the council meeting, knowing that there was something that they'd urgently wanted to discuss with Elsa the night before. A few minutes after we took our places in the council room, the 4 members of the Royal Council walked in, taking their own places around the table.

The Council was made up of 4 of Arendelle's politicians, and they'd taken over the day to day running of the kingdom after the death of Elsa and Anna's parents. Thorvald was the eldest member of the council, while his son Avulstein was the youngest and most brash. Ysarald was the second longest serving member of the council, joining less than a year after Thorvald. The two were great friends, and often agreed on a lot. The fourth member, and the only woman on the council was Elisif, a young and kindly woman. Behind them came Hanna, a girl of around 16 years who took the notes at the council meetings.

Normally, Elsa was the only person to speak to me at the council meetings. However, as they walked through the doors, Hanna Thorvald and Elisif smiled at me, and Ysarald nodded to me. Avulstein on the other hand ignored me entirely, and he was my least favourite member of the council. However, his father was able to rein him in most times, meaning he rarely got his way on the council.

Coming in last, Hanna closed the door and took her own seat next to Elisif, and took out her paper to take the notes. Normally, council meeting's tended to be quite boring, and I'd often drift as they went on. Normally, Elsa and the council members would talk of what was happening in the kingdom on a daily basis, and things such as trade or the harvests and food supply. For most of the meeting, nothing was very different and I drifted off in the middle of it.

However, I was snapped back at the end by something Thorvald said.

"And finally, the diplomatic visit from Corona." At this, both Elsa and I stiffened. I'd heard nothing of a diplomatic visit, and from the looks of it Elsa had entirely forgotten. Avulstein growled, clearly unimpressed while the other 3 looked on more kindly. Thorvald began "Forgive us, Queen Elsa. The meeting was on the day that Captain Nikolas was in the mountains, and you were not entirely paying attention."

Thorvald looked at me, making sure that I was listening. "6 days ago, we sent a letter to the King and Queen of Corona. The letter asked them to come to Arendelle to discuss trade with you Queen Elsa, and ways that the alliance between our two kingdoms could be strengthened. Last night, we received a reply saying that they while they would love to visit themselves, they were currently unable to come. However, their daughter, Rapunzel, and her husband Eugene are coming instead, and they'll be here in  
3 days."

Being Queen, Elsa had much less time to recover than I did. She nodded, and turned to Hanna. "Hanna, could you please leave the notes from the meeting so I can go over them?" Hanna nodded, and Elsa turned back to Thorvald. "Thorvald, do you have the letter with you?" Thorvald nodded and handed it to Elsa, and Elsa breathed out a small sigh. "If you leave me with both of these things, I'll look over them now and we can work out what is happening."

The 4 council members rose and bowed before leaving the room. Hanna went through a small pile of papers before finding the notes from the council meeting and handed them to Elsa. Elsa sighed, and said "Thank you Hanna, I'll see you tomorrow." Hanna bowed as well and left the room. As son as the door had closed behind her, Elsa slumped down and banged her head against the table, her head resting right in the middle of the papers.

As I pulled a chair up beside her, she moaned "I can't believe let this happen! I'm supposed to be the Queen!" Resting a hand against her shoulder, I softly said "It's not your fault, you were worried about me. If it's anyone's fault it's mine." She looked from the pile of papers and dead panned "Yes, it's your fault that you were killing a bandit gang who'd kidnapped a young girl." I smirked, and she smiled slightly before sitting up and looking at the papers again.

I asked her "Would you like someone to go over those notes with you?" She smiled and said "That's exactly what I need right now." I smiled, and picking up the letter asked "What will need to be organised for their visit?" She groaned again and replied "Enough beds to sleep their group, food for all of them, somewhere for them to dock their ships, and so, so much more."

While Elsa was speaking, I read the letter to see how many men Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene would be bringing with them. Skim reading, I saw that they would be travelling in 3 ships with 50 of their own men. "Well, at least they're not bringing too many men with them." Elsa nodded, reading over what Hanna had written. I sighed, knowing it was going to be a difficult 3 days.

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The next few days went quickly, and soon enough it was the day of the Prince and Princesses arrival. The harbour had been cleared to leave space for 3 ships to dock, and most of the kingdom was gathered around to try and catch a glimpse of Corona's boats, and hopefully beautiful princess too. The palace had been prepared to house the 50 men and extra food had been bought to the palace as well.

Elsa, Anna Kristoff and I were waiting at the docks, the Royal Council standing a few metres behind us. As I looked around the harbour, I saw Aeri and Olaf pushing through a group of people to get down to the docks, the people moving apart when they saw Olaf. The two came and stood beside me, Aeri slightly out of breath. When I gave her a questioning look, she whispered back "I had trouble with my hair, I'm sorry!" I laughed quietly and turned back to Elsa.

The same why that I'd dressed in my full armour, minus the claws, Elsa had dressed in her long icy dress, including the cape this time. Looking at Anna and Kristoff, I see that they'd dressed formally too, and Anna had even managed to get Kristoff to take a bath. I chuckled again at the though of Anna making Kristoff take a bath, and focused back on Elsa. Although her face was a mask, I could tell that she was slightly anxious about the meeting from the tiny snow flakes spiralling around her.

I leaned in, and whispered "Elsa, your snowing." She looked at me, confused and saw the tiny snowflakes. She closed her eyes and focused for a second, and then they were gone. Leaning back again, I whispered "Have you ever met her? Princess Rapunzel?" She shook her head and answered "The Kingdom of Corona has been our ally since before my father was king, but they'd never come to Arendelle during his reign. However, Anna met her once, briefly." I nodded, knowing why they'd never come. I whispered "You'll be fine Elsa."

Elsa took a deep breath, and whispered "There's a few things that I should probably tell you about Rapunzel. We're... She's... She's my cousin. I looked over at her in surprise. "I've never met her, but Anna said that she's beautiful, and even that there was a slight resemblance between us." Still surprised, I nodded and went back to watching the horizon.

Less than 5 minutes later, 3 boats came into view on the far horizon. Beside me, I saw Elsa take in a deep breath, her hands balled into fists by her sides. Gently, I leant over and grabbed her hand. She jumped at first, but when she realised that it was me, she entwined her fingers with mine. Together, we stood and waited for the 3 boats.


End file.
